Self-defense ruled in shooting of bear that broke into South Lake Tahoe home

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - More details have become available on the shooting, and subsequent death, of a bear on June 25 in the county area of South Lake Tahoe.

A person renting a vacation home on Pioneer Trail last week returned to the house after going out for dinner with the other occupants of the home. Upon entry into the home on the bottom level, this person heard noises coming from the second-floor living space. Not knowing if it were human or animal causing the noise, he grabbed his pistol and went to investigate, according to California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) Captain Patrick Foy.

The vacationer then said he "found his arm in the bear's mouth," according to a statement he gave to CDFW. Fearing for his life, he shot the bear in the head from point-blank range, then fired several other rounds as the bear retreated.

Deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) arrived at 10:39 p.m. and tried to find the bear, but could not find it in the dark. Agencies returned in the morning and found the bear suffering from injuries sustained in the shooting and euthanized it.

The female bear was 400-500 pounds and was not lactating, so most likely there were no recent cubs and none were found in the area.

It has been ruled the home's occupant was acting in self-defense, according to Foy. They will conduct further investigation into which shots killed the sow, but that won't affect the ruling about self-defense.

Since that time there has been an uproar against this person on social media, something Foy said he was surprised by. Local bear advocate Toogee Sielsch was also surprised and wrote a letter to the editor today.

"We can’t judge this person’s actions because we don’t know if he had an opportunity to get out of the house," said Foy.

There were also no signs the renter did at the home that would attract a bear such as garbage or food left out. The vacation home also has a locking bear box for trash outside.

"This guy didn't appear to be doing anything wrong," said Foy. "I have seen cases where people are inadvertently and inadvertently feeding bears, and neither was the case here."

The bear apparently gained entry from a downstairs sliding glass door, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO).

The renter did not have any injuries that required medical attention, EDSO said.

Human and wildlife encounters and attacks have been on the rise in California. Foy said that when he started with CDFW 24 years ago there was about one attack by a bear, mountain lion, or coyote every 1.5 years. In 2020 there were seven bear attacks, three mountain lion attacks, and more than one dozen coyote bites in the state according to Foy.

"We encourage people to get outside and enjoy the forests, but things can happen there," said Foy. "We've been struggling to educate the public on how to prevent the attacks."

Foy said residents in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers have been overwhelmingly proactive in educating temporary residents and tourists on how to be bear aware and how to not attract bears into urban settings and homes.

"South Lake Tahoe is better than most places in the state, and I've seen the signs up in vacation rentals that warn people to close windows if cooking and to secure garbage," said Foy.

"But sometimes these bears find ways and teach their young ones on how to find food in unnatural places," said Foy. "Then we end up in a situation like this."

There are things people can remember to do if encountering wildlife. Foy said he's always walked and hiked with a whistle, the sound keeps bears away. It is more effective than bear spray as one doesn't have to be so close for it to be effective, he said. Yelling, noise, anything that makes the bear uncomfortable works to keep them away, and safe (Whistles also work for kids in uncomfortable situations with humans too.)

Foy said CDFW has a website, KeepMeWild.org that contains a lot of information about treating wildlife no matter where you go - Wild animals don’t need your handouts. They need your respect. Tips on the website include what to do and not do at your home, vacation home, campsite, timeshare, etc., to keep bears away.

From the website:

You may not realize it – a simple bag of garbage, a bowl of pet food, or a wild bird feeder, can create problems with wildlife. If wild animals have access to human food and garbage, unnatural foraging behavior can begin. Wildlife venturing into neighborhoods puts both people and animals at risk. Wildlife becomes susceptible to vehicle strikes, pesticide poisoning, injury from other wildlife, and disease. Public safety may be compromised.

Whether you live in a city or a rural part of California, wild animals are your neighbors. They naturally fear humans and keep their distance – so long as they remain fully wild. Be a good steward of wildlife. Stash food and trash.

Keep them wild.