Six bear cubs killed on Tahoe roads in two weeks, Bear League says
By Maricela De La Cruz
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LAKE TAHOE, California (KCRA) — Six bear cubs have been killed in vehicle collisions on Tahoe-area roads over the past two weeks, according to the Bear League in Lake Tahoe, which tracks bear deaths annually.
“We track the kills, the road hits, every year. This year so far is higher with cubs. It’s going to get worse on into November, but there’s been years when we had so many, it was just total carnage,” said Ann Bryant, director of the Bear League.
The organization shared that one of the cubs killed had been tracked since its birth in January and provided a video of the cub.
Bryant explained that bears are especially active in the fall and early winter as they prepare for hibernation. “We see bears starting over, see them all year long. But a lot in the fall and on into the early winter until they finally go into the den – we hope. They’re out more because they have to pack on calories,” she said.
The Bear League has tracked road deaths for 30 years and says vehicle collisions with bears typically increase from mid-August through mid-November.
To address the issue, the group is advocating for more noticeable warning signs.
“We’re hoping to get some more mobile signs. The kind that have solar power so that there’s words that read across and they can be moved around because a normal bear crossing sign, people get used to those and they don’t notice them and they don’t think about it,” Bryant said.
In the meantime, the Bear League is asking drivers to slow down, stay alert, and remember that they are sharing Tahoe’s roads with wildlife.
Wildlife officials also remind people to secure garbage, food and other items during this time of year, as bears can consume up to 25,000 calories a day to build fat reserves for the winter.
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