Black Bear Shot, Killed In Twin Cities Was 'Safety Threat'

SPRING PARK, MN — A 250-pound black bear deemed a "public safety threat" was shot and killed by authorities Saturday after it wondered into a park near Lake Minnetonka.

A family told police they first spotted the bear near Lord Fletcher's restaurant in Spring Park. Tranquilizers were not available at the time and the bear was killed for the safety of people in the densely population location, authorities said.

"The DNR deemed it a public safety threat," Jon Collins of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office told the Star Tribune.

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There were hundreds of people in the area during the incident, KSTP reports.

Black bear sightings are becoming increasingly common in the metro area, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In May, police officers confirmed reports of a black bear sighting in southeast Burnsville.

The state's black bear range has been slowly expanding southward and westward. To better understand and document this expansion, the DNR designed a new reporting application on its website to gather bear sightings made by the public outside the primary bear range.

Bear sightings can be tracked online at the DNR.

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