For over a month now there has been a bear cub hanging out at the boat ramp of the McCloud Reservoir. Originally, there were two cubs, but now there seems to be only one.
Local people and vacationers that have been boating, fishing, and swimming at and around the boat ramp have been taking pictures of the bear and posting them on Facebook which is encouraging more people to go and visit the wild animal.
People have been feeding the cub bear that looks malnourished. Some people say that they left dog food and there have been others that have offered fish they have caught. One man got bit as he was hand-feeding the bear.
U.S. Forest Service Information Officer Steve Piles at the McCloud Forest Service Office says that this is not a Forest Service problem and has recommended people contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I have looked into it and the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary currently has only one bear there now.”
Siskiyou County Fish and Wildlife Officer Lieutenant James Reed said that they are trying to educate the public and will write out citations if people continue to feed and try to pet the bear. He stated that they have posted signs in the area. Reed recommends that people go to the Fish and Wildlife website and read up on “Keep me wild” which offers information regarding bears encounters and conflicts with people.
Other options that the Department of Fish and Wildlife has mentioned are to close the McCloud Reservoir boat ramp or dispatch (kill) the bear.
People have questioned why the Department of FIsh and Wildlife has not relocated the bear or taken it to a rehab or sanctuary but Officer Reed had no answer for that.
read yesterday’s: Encounter with Homeless Baby Bear
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Great article Shareen,
We hope that locals and tourists stop hand feeding this Bear. As we know that this is not good for the Bear’s future .
Thank for the information! It’s so sad when a wild animal gets used to people. How would it survive the winter with the “kindliness of strangers” and no skills to forage for his own food? It would be a shame for someone to get badly hurt and/or the bear cub is killed. I certainly hope the cub is taken to a wildlife shelter, it looks to be too young to live on its own so simply relocating it does not seem to be an option.
Unfortunately for the bear, it’s probably going to take someone getting seriously injured for Fish and Wildlife to respond.