Bear in Camper's Attack Euthanized; Campground Reopened

ALTADENA, CA - A black bear captured after a camper was attacked in a tent at the Millard Campground near Altadena was euthanized Wednesday after tests confirmed it was the offending animal.

The bear encounter occurred Friday night, according to Andrew Hughan of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The animal pushed in the victim's tent while apparently attempting to get inside. The man, whose name was not released, needed about 18 sutures to close a wound on his forehead.

Two other campers saw the bear running away from the area, and the campground was immediately closed and evacuated, Hughan said.

Department of Fish and Wildlife staff captured the 120-pound, 2-year-old female bear less than a mile from the campground on Saturday, he said.

The bear was tranquilized and held until tests of genetic material from the damaged tent and scat from the campsite confirmed it was the animal that attacked the camper, Hughan said.

"In order to protect public safety and in accordance with CDFW policy, the animal was humanely euthanized today," Hughan said.

The department's first priority is to protect the public, he said.

"We cannot risk the safety of the public by allowing an animal involved in an unprovoked attack on a human to roam freely, particularly in a heavily used outdoor recreation area," Hughan said. "Euthanizing a wild animal is always our last option, but when public safety is at risk, it is the only choice."

Relocation of such bears "does not work," he said.

"We would just be moving a problem bear to a new area and exposing the public there to a problem animal," Hughan said.

The bear will be tested for rabies and other diseases during a necropsy, he said.

"Bear attacks on humans are extremely rare and there has never been a recorded fatal attack in California," Hughan said, adding that the campground "is safe and open to the public."

— City News Service, photo courtesy of the LASD