Black Bear, Cubs Scare California Beachgoers
Like thousands of other residents, a mother and her three children fought the heat over the weekend by spending time at a California beach. But unfortunately for the other beachgoers,…
CHENGDU, CHINA – JULY 15: (CHINA OUT) A moon bear rescued as part of Animal Asia Foundation’s bear program on July 15,2019 in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Founded by Jill Robinson in 1998, The Animals Asia Foundation center has rescued more than 200 bears. With 58 bears still living today, it is illegal to hunt Asiatic black bears or Moon bears in the wild in China, however the animals are still trapped or killed for their gall bladders and other body parts via artificial farming. (Photo by Wang He/Getty Images)
Photo by Wang He/Getty ImagesLike thousands of other residents, a mother and her three children fought the heat over the weekend by spending time at a California beach. But unfortunately for the other beachgoers, the mom and her children were bears.
"We were all a little shocked," says resident Jen Watkins, who was at South Lake Tahoe's Pope Beach when the bears arrived. She says the bears cooled off in the water for a while before the mother bear got "a little unfriendly" with a golden retriever it perceived as a threat. Then, after swiping someone's cooler, the mother bear and her cubs headed back into the forest, Watkins says.
Although the encounter occurred without any serious problems, Placer Counter Sheriff's Lieutenant Nelson Resendes is warning people that bears can't be trusted. "They can be very dangerous," he says. "We are in their territory when we're up in the Foothills and in the Sierra."
