John and April Bright, who recently moved from Texas, got a real welcome to Incline Village this week in the form of a 112-pound male bear cub.
The bear had been hanging around the Bright's residence for the past few days, helping himself to the trash and walking on the deck, before the couple decided to take action.
"I told John that we'd better call someone. I have a dog and she's my baby. So, I was concerned for her," April Bright said.
Carl Lackey, of the Nevada Division of Wildlife, set a barrel trap for the intrusive bruin.
Monday evening the Brights were awakened by the clank of the door as it sprang shut.
"All we could think about all night was that we have a bear trapped in our yard. We didn't go out until daylight. That's when we called Carl," said John Bright.
Lackey, his 11-year-old son, Nolan, state Game Warden Dave Patula, volunteer Jaret Johnson and Lackey's trusty sidekick, a Karelian bear dog named Striker, came out.
"This was a case of an orphaned cub who was just about to be put out by his mom, but we're guessing that she was killed and he's been out on his own for some time," said Lackey. He had discovered two of the bear's beds behind the house.
Lackey tranquilized the bear, a process that had to be done twice since the first shot had little or no effect, and gathered vital statistics needed to track the bear's progress in the future.
"We check weight (112 pounds), length (48 inches), height (19 inches at the shoulders), chest width (30 inches) and neck size (17 inches)," said Lackey, who usually takes a tooth for lab analysis and aging on the animal, but didn't in this case because he could easily guess the age of the cub.
"Bear birth dates start in February and it's pretty obvious that this little guy is around 9 months old," Lackey said.
Lackey's final chore was to place a lip tattoo and ear tag on the animal before it was transported to Animal Ark, a shelter north of Reno.
Lackey and his crew have relocated 20 bears since spring. Unfortunately, Lackey says, relocation doesn't always work.
"Sometimes, if the animal has proven to be a threat to humans, it has to be euthanized. This only occurred with four of the 29 captures we made last year and I don't enjoy it," he said.
Although attacks from black bears are rare, Lackey advises that if you are confronted by a bear, stay calm, use common sense and remember that the bear is probably just as frightened as you are.
As bear No. 97, the number Lackey gave him, heads for his new temporary home, the Brights realized they definitely have something to tell the family back in Texas.
"This is different. Here I am, only eight days in Nevada and I get a black bear for a welcoming committee. They don't have things like this back in Texas. I know I'm going to like it here," said April Bright, watching as her husband helped lift the bear into the truck.
