Wildlife officials shot a baby bear after it became too friendly with humans.
Authorities received reports about the black bear and saw photos of the animal on social media posing with humans.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Washington County Sheriff’s Office kept on getting calls about the male bear at Scoggins Valley Park.
Many tourists and members of the public had given or left food for the adorable animal. The bear was always seen eating food.
But on Tuesday evening, deputies got calls about the bear after people visited the park to enjoy boating.
Authorities then shared a post on Twitter warning the public to stay away from the bear along with photos of the animal.
WSCO Oregon tweeted. “Deputies are working to get this bear cub near Hagg Lake to go back into the woods… please stay away from the area near Boat Ramp A.”
Wildlife biologists Doug Kitchen and Kurt License attempted to trap and move the bear but he was found eating cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and trail mix. More food were left out for the 100lb animal and he didn’t run away when officials approached.
“This is a classic example of why we implore members of the public not to feed bears,” License said to OregonLive.
“While the individuals who put food out for this bear may have had good intentions bears should never, ever be fed.
“It was very clear that the animal was way too habituated. With that information, it was a human health and safety risk, and we had to remove it.”
The bear didn’t run away when Kitchen and License moved towards him – this means he had become used to human interactions.
Rick Swart of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said if the animal hadn’t been habituated to people, it could have been moved. But a habituated bear is unlikely to run away from people, making the risk of leaving him to encounter more humans too great a risk.
“We’re sad it ended this way,” said Deputy Brian van Kleef. “Obviously no one wants to see a bear get killed, especially its many human fans. But I think it was the human interaction that ultimately led to its tragic end.”
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