Advocates trying to save Lake Tahoe bear set to be euthanized after series of break-ins with cub

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) — We are following the story of bear break-ins in Tahoe, which is now poised to take a deadly turn.

State wildlife officials say one bear has broken into at least a dozen homes over the last month, and she’s taking her cub with her.

Wildlife advocates are now trying to keep the bears alive. There’s a plea to save the life of bear number 753, known around Lake Tahoe as “Hope.”

“There is a death warrant on her head,” said Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League.

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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been trying to trap the black bear and her cub known as “Bounce.”

Officials are calling Hope a problem bear, citing a dozen break-ins in a month.

“We’re very worried about that. We don’t know what will happen to Bounce when she’s killed. There’s supposedly no room at the rehab centers where Bounce could go,” Bryant said.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife said Hope “is targeted for lethal removal.”

the statement went on to read: “We have a public safety responsibility that we take seriously. An adult black bear that breaks into occupied homes over and over and over again sets up a very dangerous situation.”

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Scenes like a recent break-in at an ice-cream shop are becoming common in the Tahoe Region, with bears making their way into homes and cars. Officials euthanized this bear last month.

“A lot of visitors are here, and a lot of second homeowners. They don’t get it yet. They don’t understand that this is bear country. If you don’t want bears to come in, there’s things you have to do to avoid it,” Bryant said.

But wildlife officials say they’re also trying break a cycle, and by targeting the mama bear, her baby could be spared.

“In removing the adult bear, we hope to save the life of its cub. Bear cubs learn all of their behaviors from their mothers and #753’s cub is learning how to break into homes at an early age and at an alarming rate. We hope to break this cycle of conflict,” Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.