2 bears caught, 1 killed by car in Tahoe

Two black bears were captured Tuesday morning by the Nevada Department of Wildlife in separate traps in Incline Village. They will be released in the mountains above Lake Tahoe on Wednesday morning.

A third bear was hit and killed by a car near Spooner Summit early Tuesday morning. Since 1997, 170 black bears have been killed by cars in Nevada.

“July 1 marked the beginning of Bear Logic Month in Nevada and the bears quickly illustrated the reason why the special month to promote bear awareness in Nevada is needed,” Chris Healy, with Nevada Department of Wildlife, said in a statement.

The two bears at Incline were captured near homes in culvert bear traps. Both animals were displaying nuisance behavior related to access to human garbage. The 9-year-old female was first caught in the Lake Tahoe Basin in 2009. The yearling female had never been captured before by NDOW.

Officials believe this summer will be a busy for nuisance bear activity because the ongoing drought has dried up many natural food sources and bears are expected to greatly expand their search for food in urban areas.