Bear caught in Squaw Valley trap will be killed

SQUAW VALLEY - A young bear entered a culvert trap Tuesday at a residence in Squaw Valley and will be taken away to be euthanized, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.

It is the second bear in a week to be killed by game officials. On Friday, a 320-pound black bear that made the fatal mistake of thinking a domesticated goat was fair game spent his last hours in a cage at the Douglas County Jail sallyport before being euthanized. The goat was in an unprotected pen next to Clear Creek in thick brush at night.

The Squaw Valley bear, according to Jean-Claude Pascal, who requested the permit, had entered his two homes in Squaw Valley six times, causing $3,000 in damage. Pascal said he was in contact and working with the BEAR League to keep the bear away from his home.

"We tried to throw rocks, to shoot some BB guns (at the bear)," he said. "I've lived in Squaw for 34 years, never had this problem before."

It will be the first nuisance bear in Squaw Valley to be killed in seven years, according to BEAR League Executive Director Ann Bryant.

The BEAR League's aversion tactics, according to Pam Rocca, tend to work.

"When the BEAR League is successful in aversion, the bear is our ally - he keeps the bears out of the area," Rocca said. "We can't decimate our population of trained bears because then we have to start from scratch."

Jason Holley, a Fish and Game associate wildlife biologist and the "bear guy," as he puts it, for the Lake Tahoe area, said he has received dozens of calls from the area about bears. The BEAR League reported in a recent Squaw Valley Property Owner's Association newsletter that some residents had been feeding and filming bears, causing them to frequent neighborhoods.

"If a permit is issued, it is a person's right to take that bear," Holley said.

In order for a permit to be issued, Fish and Game officials must verify the request by visiting the site. However, such visits do not occur all the time, according to Holley.

"The last thing we like to see is a dead bear," said Holley. "It is (a resident's) responsibility to keep your place bear proof - people have to be educated."

Holley added that baiting or feeding bears is illegal and that instances of bears getting fed in Squaw Valley have been reported to him.

"It is a community problem - a traumatic situation," said Pascal. "It is not the kind of thing I want to see."

Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey, whose task it was to kill the Clear Creek bear, said the goat's owners made it easy for the bear to kill its prey.

"That poor bear," Lackey said. "I have to euthanize him because those people made it about as easy for the bear as possible."

Be aware of bears

When camping

• Never keep items such as food, toothpaste, candy, gum, perfume or lip gloss in your tent or sleeping bag

• Store food in a bear-proof container or locker

• Clean everything after preparing meals

• Use canisters for food when backpacking

• Do not keep food in your tent that smells like food or cooking odors

Bear-proof your home

• Never approach or feed a bear, or any other wild animal.

• Use removable bird feeders for temporary placement.

• Keep pet food cleaned up, or indoors

• Use bear-proof garbage containers

• Spray or pour ammonia in and around garbage cans

• Wait until the morning of pick-up before placing garbage out

• Clean barbecue grills after use

• Use electrical fencing combined with a tall, metal or wooden fence to protect orchards, fish ponds, beehives, compost piles, and livestock.

• Constant harassment with scare devices, loud noises or dogs will sometimes work.