Woman Attacked by Bear While Camping at Lake Tahoe

Photo by Patrick 

A 25-year-old woman was camping on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe over the weekend when she was attacked by a bear. She is currently recovering from her injuries.

The woman was standing at a picnic table when the bear surprised her and swiped at her, ripping her jeans and injuring her leg. The bear also broke into the cooler and the campsite. The incident is a reminder to stay bear safe in the Tahoe area.

“The bears here are becoming increasingly habituated and increasingly emboldened,” said Nevada Department of Wildlife Director Tony Wasley. “When we leave food accessible to them, we know why they show up in our campgrounds, on our doorsteps, or in our garages.”

Wildlife officials are currently searching for the bear with the hopes of capturing it. Typically, a bear is given three strikes before officials euthanize them, but it’s unknown if they want to take a more drastic approach in this case, given the nature of the event.

“We were very fortunate that this only ended in some torn jeans and an injury on the leg,” said Game Warden Captain Jake Kreamer. “Coming between a bear and its food is a dangerous place to be.”

The incident comes just a month after a man was rushed by a bear in his vacation home near South Lake Tahoe. He shot the bear in the head, raising the intensity of the bear debate in the area. The bear survived the gunshot wound, but was found and euthanized shortly after the incident.

The NDOW has some tips for people in people in wild areas to avoid bear encounters:

  • Store your food properly when you’re camping.
  • Keep your trash cans inaccessible to bears.
  • Rethinking those bird feeders in your yard.

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