As if cleaning up the mess caused by the Caldor Fire isn't going to be bad enough, some evacuated Lake Tahoe residents returning home will face an even bigger challenge: evicting families of bears that have taken over their residences!
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Bears have been moving into vacated homes at an alarming rate as South Lake Tahoe Police officers have responded to at least 17 "bear break-in" reports over the past week, says Chief Dave Stevenson...
"They know when people aren't home, so they've taken advantage of that," Stevenson says. "We've definitely seen an uptick in bear break-ins to garages and some homes."
But families who return home to find furry squatters inside shouldn't attempt to get them to leave on their own, warns bear expert Toogee Sielsch.
"When you come home and if you find that it looks like a window's open or door's open and something has accessed into your house, don't rush in and definitely don't block that spot," Sielsch says. "It might be a wild animal that has made ingress into your house because that spot's the only way they're going to know to get out of your house."
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