Lake Tahoe bear dies after mistakenly shot with live round
A Washoe County sheriff's deputy trying to scare off a group of bears in Incline Village on Saturday morning accidentally shot a mother bear with a live round instead of a rubber round. The bear, known around the Lake Tahoe town as Jasper, died as a result of her injuries.
"I am saddened to hear of the passing of the bear from (Saturday's) incident in Incline Village involving one of our deputies," said Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen. "We appreciate the efforts made by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The Sheriff's Office will thoroughly review the incident and take whatever measures are deemed appropriate."
The deputy had been responding to a mother bear and her cubs in a neighborhood in Incline Village. He said he accidentally shot a live round and not a rubber one when trying to disperse the bears.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife was notified after the Saturday morning incident and the adult bear to a veterinarian for evaluation and treatment. She went into surgery reports were that she had done well and was resting. Jasper later died Sunday morning at 7:15 a.m.
NDOW says the cubs are old enough to be on their own and that the agency will formulate a management plan for the cubs.