Bear Naked Truth

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) successfully returned a black bear to forest habitat in August after it traveled through Lake Isabella in Kern County getting into trash and ultimately making its way to a local shopping center where it was being fed inappropriately.

On August 10, CDFW received initial reports that the bear was going through trash bins at a local mobile home community. The bear hadn’t acted aggressively and was considered a “no harm/no foul” bear. CDFW advised residents to haze the bear without harming it, and to remove anything from the property that would attract bears, such as unsecured trash or pet food.

The approximately 2-year-old male bear traveled south from the mobile home community, rummaging through trash bins at several residences as it made its way to the Lake Isabella shopping center.

On August 15, CDFW and local law enforcement received reports that the bear was being given food, and possibly alcohol, by an individual at the shopping center. Officers responded and attempted to haze the bear to the nearest natural habitat in the Kern River Basin.

On August 16, after several attempts at hazing, CDFW made the decision to tranquilize the bear and return it to suitable habitat. The bear was never deemed aggressive and was observed to be a healthy animal.

“We prefer to use the least invasive method possible when managing conflict bears,” said Chris DeTar, CDFW’s biologist who led the effort. “In this situation, our preference would have been to continue hazing. But we decided to tranquilize and return the bear to suitable habitat for several reasons, including the presence of people, the feeding (which would have motivated the bear to return) and a nearby four-lane road that intersected its path to habitat.”

Biologists darted the bear with a tranquilizer gun, which prompted it to climb into a nearby tree. About five minutes later, the tranquilizer took effect and the bear tumbled out of the tree a short distance to the ground. CDFW staff conducted a health assessment and confirmed the bear was not injured and healthy enough to be returned to habitat.

“Bears are instinctive tree climbers, which can complicate the process of capturing and relocating,” said DeTar. “Our staff are well trained in tranquilizing techniques, including careful shot placement and taking every precaution to ensure the safety of the animal. But wildlife is wild and sometimes unpredictable. Sometimes a tranquilized animal will run away before the drugs take effect or will relax and lose its grip on a tree branch, as happened in this case. We do our best to prevent falls, but when it happens, we are prepared to evaluate and assist the animal to ensure its welfare before release.”

Following the health assessment, staff ear-tagged the bear and placed it in a transport carrier, adding ice packs to ensure it didn’t get too hot. The bear was then transported to national forest land where it was successfully released.

CDFW Statewide Conflict Specialist Ryan Leahy noted that although the effort was successful, it also serves as a cautionary tale.

“We may have been able to use less invasive methods to resolve the situation had it not been for the public feeding the bear,” said Leahy. “When bears obtain human food, they begin to seek it out even if natural food sources are available. Bears can quickly lose their natural fear of people, which often escalates the situation. It’s a reminder that access to human food is often at the root of human-wildlife conflict.”

There is bear habitat in the higher elevation forested areas surrounding Lake Isabella. From time to time, bears will find their way into populated areas that are near wild lands like this. When bears enter urban or populated areas, they’re usually looking for food. The best way to keep bears away is to eliminate all attractants like unsecured garbage and pet food. Whether intentional or not, it is illegal to feed all wildlife including bears.

When a bear makes its way into a residential area but hasn’t acted aggressively, CDFW’s goal is to give the bear a chance to return to habitat on its own. If the presence of a bear becomes a public safety concern, CDFW wildlife officers respond and often work directly with local law enforcement.

Bear encounters and property damage caused by bears can be reported to CDFW through its statewide Wildlife Incident Reporting system.

More tips for safely co-existing with bears can be found on CDFW’s Keep Me Wild web page.

Media contact:
Ken Paglia, CDFW Communications: Ken.Paglia@wildlife.ca.gov

Hopeful news to report from the Tahoe Basin on National Black Bear Day, which is recognized annually the first Saturday in June.

ABC 7 Los Angeles shared video recently of what Tahoe Basin residents believe to be the Tamarack Fire bear splashing and playing happily in a South Lake Tahoe pond. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officials say they can't know the bear's identity for certain since the Tamarack Fire bear wasn’t tagged or radio-collared prior to its escape but their hope is that residents are correct and the Tamarack Fire bear is the one enjoying itself in the ABC 7 video.

The Tamarack Fire bear, you’ll remember, made headlines last summer and prompted local concern after the young bear escaped from its enclosure at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, where it was recovering from burns suffered in the Tamarack Fire.

CDFW ultimately decided against recapturing the bear after various sightings and observations in the wild revealed the bear to be moving and functioning properly with no obvious signs of injury and behaving as a wild and healthy bear should. Surrounding fresh scat indicated the bear was actively foraging on wild foods. More information on the decision is available in an earlier post.

While conflict bears in the Tahoe Basin often capture the attention and interest of the news media and the public, it’s good to be reminded that many of the Tahoe Basin’s black bears still live healthy, wild lives free from human conflict and – mostly – out of the spotlight.

On National Black Bear Day, we can thank ABC 7 Los Angeles – and perhaps the Tamarack Fire bear itself – for the reminder.

Now that the snow has sufficiently melted and spring has sprung, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has resumed Trap-Tag-Haze efforts in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Since 2017, CDFW has caught, tagged, collected DNA and released 36 bears as part of its Trap-Tag-Haze bear research and management efforts in the Basin.

This spring, CDFW will focus initially on the South Lake Tahoe area, where a few different bears have broken into homes since the summer of 2021. Although reports have slowed, these bears have caused significant property damage throughout the neighborhood known as the Tahoe Keys.

If the large bear that recently garnered significant media attention is trapped, it will be evaluated by CDFW veterinarians for release into the wild. A release site in appropriate bear habitat has already been identified that should provide the bear plenty of habitat to transition to wild bear behaviors. The bear will be monitored with a satellite tracking collar that will help determine if the management effort is effective.

All other bears captured will be ear-tagged and hazed upon release (loudly chased to provide a negative association with humans and habituated behavior).

DNA evidence collected through Trap-Tag-Haze efforts already has shown interesting family relatedness among bears displaying similar activity. In other words, mother bears are likely teaching negative and nuisance behaviors to their offspring.

Some monitored bears have successfully acclimated to wild habitats outside of town while others have returned and continued to exhibit habituated behaviors, which means associating people, homes, cars, campgrounds, coolers and the like as sources of food.

Following the South Lake Tahoe Trap-Tag-Haze efforts, CDFW will move the operation to the western and northern sides of the Basin. The video below further explains CDFW’s innovative Trap-Tag-Haze program.