Nevada Department of Wildlife officials handled two bears on Thursday, trapping one near Reno while the other was found injured at Lake Tahoe and had to be euthanized.
The injured bear was found in Incline Village at around 8 a.m. Game wardens had been informed the bear was hurt, possibly by a vehicle, and was observed not being able to use its back legs. The bear was tranquilized and examined by a veterinarian before being put down due to the severity of its injuries.
Meanwhile, a three-year-old male bear was trapped in west Reno Thursday morning near the Truckee River on Livermore Drive. The bear had been captured last October in the same general area and will be released Friday morning in the Carson Range near Spooner Summit, according to NDOW.
When released, the bear will receive the full aversive conditioning treatment which consists of rubber buck shot fired at the bear and the use of Karelian bear dogs chasing and usually treeing the bears.
“We give the bears a bad experience in the hope that they do not come back,” said NDOW biologist Carl Lackey.