California Man Shoots Bear After It Breaks Into His House; Animal Euthanized

A California resident critically shot a bear in self-defense after the animal allegedly broke into his home and attacked him.

On Thursday night, the homeowner encountered the bear in Meyers, El Dorado County, and shot it, following which it fled to the wilderness, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office said, reported KGO-TV. It wasn't clear if the man was injured in the attack.

The next day, the Fish and Wildlife officers found the badly injured bear, and euthanized it. On investigating the incident, the sheriff’s office concluded the homeowner acted legally when he shot the bear.

“We encourage all citizens to familiarize themselves with safety tips for bear encounters,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, reported The Sacramento Bee.

People living in the area said bear sightings were common, and blamed the visitors for not taking necessary measures to bear-proof their property.

Tyler Bradford, a local resident, told KGO, "A lot of people who don't live here don't realize that they have to keep the trash safe, the doors locked, and not feed these guys."

"Visitors come up and they leave their trash about and the bears then go ahead feel comfortable enough to roam the streets," said another local, Vincent Vidal.

Encounters between humans and bears have increased over the years as the animals are increasingly entering urban areas to forage for food. “With its keen sense of smell and its zest for calories, bears are naturally attracted to garbage and other sources of human food in your camping cooler,” stated the US Forest Service. The agency added the best defense was prevention and recommended storing garbage in a bear-proof storage container.

A teenager camping with her family recently in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was attacked by a black bear while she was sleeping in a hammock, reported WTVD. The girl suffered from a head injury and lost an incredible amount of blood. But, she was conscious throughout the attack. Her family who was close by were able to scare the bear away.

Earlier this month, a teenage girl in California was seen bravely pushing a bear off her family property’s ledge after it attacked her pet dogs.