Goings-on with black bears in the Tahoe Basin and beyond Search this Blog Subscribe Sign up to receive "Bear Naked Truth" articles by email. Email Subscribe Returning Tahoe Evacuees, Visitors Urged to Secure Properties, Resist Providing Food, Water to Bears September 9, 2021 Property damage caused by black bears in South Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire evacuation. CDFW photo. Caldor Fire evacuees returning to the South Lake and West Shore areas of Lake Tahoe should be aware that bears have been seeking out human food sources during the evacuation and taking advantage of the lack of human presence. As you approach your residence, look and listen carefully for signs that a bear has been or is in your home. If a bear is in your home, call 911. Do not attempt to chase it out yourself. Your safety is your responsibility! The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) encourages residents to make repairs to damage caused by bears as soon as possible. Easy access and a food reward encourages bears to keep coming back looking for more. Never leave food or water out for bears. It is illegal, for one, and can lead to escalating problem behaviors such as break-ins and human-bear contact that may result in death of that bear. Learn more about how to keep the Tahoe Basin’s black bears healthy and wild in the aftermath of the Caldor Fire here: wildlife.ca.gov/News/returning-tahoe-evacuees-visitors-urged-to-secure-properties-resist-providing-food-and-water-to-bears The following CDFW images show some of the additional property damage caused by black bears in South Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire evacuation. Categories: South Lake Tahoe, Wildfire Tagged: Lake TahoeCaldor FireBlack BearsHuman-Bear ConflictsKeep Tahoe Bears Wild! Related Articles Trap-Tag-Haze Providing IDs, Genetic Database of Tahoe Bears The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has teamed up with California State Parks and other Tahoe-area agencies to assemble a catalog of Tahoe's bear population, assess its overall health, create a genetic database of the individual bears, and study whether hazing discourages human-bear conflicts in the future. Do Tahoe’s Bears Actually Hibernate? While many Taho Basin bears slow down and den up during the winter, many remain active accessing human food sources -- and looking for more. Property owners and visitors need to remain vigilant securing properties, food and trash to keep Tahoe's bears wild. Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care: Back to Caring for Bear Cubs in the Tahoe Basin Within hours of receiving authorization to care for bear cubs again, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care welcomed an orphaned, 25-pound bear cub from Tulare County to its improved South Lake Tahoe facility Dec. 8. Flyer Spreads Harmful Misinformation on Tahoe Bears CDFW has been alerted to flyers posted recently in the Lake Tahoe Basin encouraging people to feed bears and allow them to access garbage in order “to survive.” This is false and extremely harmful misinformation that is detrimental for bears. DNA Evidence Prompts Revised Response to Tahoe Keys Bear Incidents Incidents with black bears in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe are getting national and international attention. Tahoe is natural bear habitat, and CDFW takes each of these periodic incidents seriously. CDFW, State Parks Team Up on Tahoe Bear Research Effort CDFW and California State Parks are teaming up for a black bear research project in the Lake Tahoe Basin starting this Fall. Comments are closed. Resources BearWise(opens in new tab) Bear Aware Guide for Homeowners (PDF)(opens in new tab) Bear Aware Guide for Campers (PDF) (opens in new tab) Keep Tahoe Bears Wild(opens in new tab) Black Bear Management and Biology Contact For Emergencies: Call 9-1-1 Report Tahoe Bear Sightings, Conflicts by Phone: (916) 358-2917 Report Tahoe Bear Sightings, Conflicts Online: Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) Report a Bear Mortality Report Poachers, Polluters and Other Wildlife Crimes: CalTIP