Anger surrounds bear shooting in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by editor on Tue, 07/14/2015 - 8:45am
A 78-year-old man has been identified as the person responsible for killing a bear found off Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe on Friday, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Janice Mackey, Information Officer for the agency, told South Tahoe Now that the bear who died was responsible for several South Lake Tahoe residential break ins that had been reported multiple times. "The break-ins caused a lot of documented damage," said Mackey.
A family with a vacation home in the Minniconjou Drive neighborhood had seen a bear in their neighborhood on July 9, even taking some photos of him. On Friday, while out for a family walk, they found what they thought to be the same bear, lying on the ground, dead.
The family went home and called Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC). Toogee Sielsch, a volunteer with the non-profit agency, met the family at the scene. "There is evidence showing the bear was shot in back while going up the tree," said Sielsch. "I am not an expert, but have a pretty good eye for detail. I didn't see any blood trail or droplets of blood which would happen if the bear walked to the area wounded."
The bear had bitten his tongue but there was very little blood anywhere, said Sielsch.
Two photos in this story were provided by the family who found the dead bear. They feel this is the same bear photographed a day before the shooting.
Ann Bryant of the BEAR League said the man involved had called her group several times asking for them to kill the bear.
"They say they know who it is and it is who I suspected," said Bryant. "A person in that neighborhood was calling and complaining about bears. We don't kill bears and the Department (of Fish and Wildlife) doesn't without just cause."
Sielsch and his 16-year-old son brought the bear up to their truck and took him to LTWC where Fish and Wildlife picked him up on Friday morning.
Mackey said the couple hadn't filed complaints because of fear of retaliation by local bear protection groups.
"There is a lot of undercurrent and mis-information about this," said Bryant. "People can't chime in until charges are filed from the Department."
Once the warden files their report with the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, it will be up to the DA to file charges, or not.
"He just wanted the bears to go away, and now one has," said Bryant. "e was obsessed with wanting the bear dead. He called us constantly."
"How can you feel threatened if a bear is running away from you?" she added.
