The south shore of Lake Tahoe was under mandatory evacuation orders for approximately one week as the Caldor fire swept through the area. As of today, residents are repopulating the area with a few exceptions. As the city of South Lake Tahoe was a ghost town during the evacuation, it appears the local black bears took advantage of the situation.
According to an article in the San Francisco Gate, bears have been breaking into local residences at a significantly higher rate than normal. Without the need to worry about humans, the bears became more bold than usual. Homes, campers, and, of course, dumpsters have been raided by these furry giants who are hunting food. The South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County Sheriffs Office have been attributing most reports of home break-ins to bears. As a result, they are asking locals to exercise caution when returning to their residences as evacuation orders are lifted. It would be quite the surprise to come back to a bear tearing your kitchen apart.
To be fair to the bears, a large swathe of their habitat has burnt during this devastating fire. This has forced these bears to relocate to other areas to evade danger and find food. Bears are extremely resourceful critters and if there is food easily available, they will undoubtedly get it.
We at Unofficial Networks are not legal experts, we are confident in stating that the police can’t arrest a bear for burglary.
Images from: California State Parks Facebook Page, US Department of Agriculture