Bear shot by occupant after it breaks into Meyers home

UPDATE 6.28.21: The person who shot the bear was not a resident of Lake Tahoe. He was renting a vacation home on Pioneer Trail. Dates have been updated below to reflect new information from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.

MEYERS, Calif. - The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) responded to a call in the Meyers area on June 25 after a resident said he was attacked by a bear inside his home and that they had to shoot the bear with a firearm out of self-defense. The resident said the bear was bleeding and fled the home. At 10:39 p.m., the deputies arrived but could not find the bear.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was notified of the incident and the last known location of the bear. On the morning of June 26, CDFW found the gravely wounded bear and euthanized it, according to EDSO.

An investigation has determined that no criminal activity had occurred, and no further information is available at this time.

There has been an increase in human-bear interactions as more cubs are taught by their mothers were to find food. It is a learned behavior, one that local bear advocate Toogee Sielsch calls the "breaking and entering bears." Not all bears do this, but those who do will try to see if doors and windows are locked to get at a food source. Sielsch says he has watched a mother bear try a doorknob, then each of the cubs tries the same. Then when not able to enter the home by the door, he watched as they tried the windows in the same fashion. Many times this is at homes where they know of a previous meal.

Sielsch said the bear population has exploded in recent years and bears walking through neighborhoods is much more commonplace than it was a couple of decades ago. Before last year they thought there were 250=400 bears around Lake Tahoe, but now there are an estimated 500 bears just on the California side of the Basin.

Bears going into a home is a dangerous situation and people have to protect themselves, said Sielsch. Keeping the bear from entering in the first place is key.

"In my opinion, this situation is increasing and will continue to increase until we all secure our attractants," said Sielsch.

EDSO said they encourage all citizens to familiarize themselves with safety tips for bear encounters. There is a useful guide on bearwise.org On the site, BearWise tells visitors and residents how to secure food, removing bird feeders when bears are active, never leave dog food outdoors, and other useful information.

The bears smell food so keep doors and windows locked, and lock garages and secure crawl spaces. Once a bear learns where food is, they won't forget, said Sielsch.

Bears can spend six hours foraging for food in nature to get 1,000 calories or spend one hour in the trash for 1,000 calories. Securing trash is important. Local apartment buildings without locked dumpsters and homes without garbage in bear cans or secured garages are common culprits.