Bear spotted Tuesday in Carson City near 5th Street overpass
According to multiple Carson City residents, a bear was spotted on Tuesday evening near the 5th Street overpass.
The photo above has been circulating on social media since last night but the original photographer is unknown at this time.
According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the American Black Bear is the only bear species occurring naturally in Nevada. Their range includes mountainous areas and foothills of Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada mountains and nearby mountain ranges in extreme western Nevada.
Black Bears are not always black. They also come in shades of cinnamon and brown, much like the one in the photo. They have large ears a long snout and round head that distinguishes them from grizzly and brown bears.
According to NDOW, the bears usually wander back and forth from California to Nevada. There are often bear-human conflicts because of unprotected trash and pet food. When bears become habituated to obtaining food by raiding garbage cans, they are extremely difficult to deter.
For these individual bears the Nevada Department of Wildlife attempts to educate the bear and re-instill their fear of humans. This is accomplished by first trapping the offending bear, and then, although released in the same area that they are captured, they are subjected to a number of "aversion training" techniques upon release, including pepper spray, rubber buckshot and rubber bullets.
Homeowners can help by removing all human sources of food.
Please always remember not to approach wildlife. If you see the bear, let authorities know. NDOW and the Nevada Humane Society have been notified.