Questions Raised about Trap, Tag, Haze Bear Program at Tahoe
(Sara Jackson, Special to the Tribune)
PLACERVILLE, Calif. May 22, 2022 — SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe has one of the highest concentrations of black bears in North America. And because Lake Tahoe is also very densely populated, there is bound to be conflict.
In some areas bears are considered a nuisance, as they take advantage of the readily available food source left by humans. There are reports of bears breaking into homes in Tahoe at least once a week in search of food, according to officials.
It is the goal of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to trap these bears and safely remove them as far away from neighborhoods as possible.
Peter Tira, public information officer for CDFW, who along with a team, has caught, tagged and released 41 bears since 2017, including five in the past week, as part of the Trap-Tag-Haze program.