RENO — An already busy bear season has exploded in the Sierra Nevada with nine hungry bruins captured since Wednesday morning near Reno and Lake Tahoe as an ongoing drought continues to make food scarce in the mountains.
A 10th was killed by a car Thursday in south Reno.
Since July 1, Nevada wildlife officials have caught 42 bears and released all but two back to the wild. Ten more have been killed by vehicles as the animals move into populated areas.
State wildlife spokesman Chris Healy says the activity is expected with cooler temperatures when a typical bear’s food intake jumps from 3,000 to 25,000 calories a day. That’s the human equivalent of 83 cheeseburgers.