2 bears caught in Carson City released

The two bears that have been caught in Carson City this week have both been released, according to Nevada Department of Wildlife officials.

Early Tuesday morning, a 350-pound male black bear was caught. That bear was released in the mountains above Carson City on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, another male bear, about 350 pounds, was tranquilized on the west side of the city, near the Governor’s Mansion. That bear was released Thursday morning west of the city.

Neither of the bears had been handled before by NDOW and both were subjected to aversion conditioning treatment, which consists of rubber buckshot fired at the bears and Karelian bear dogs chasing and usually treeing the bears.

“We give the bears a bad experience in the hope that they do not come back,” said NDOW black bear biologist Carl Lackey. “We’ve been successful using this technique.”

As of Thursday morning, there were still reports of bear activity on the west side of Carson City, according to NDOW. Resident Kathi Menath sent an email to the Nevada Appeal after finding bear droppings on the front lawn of her residence on Chernus Drive on Thursday morning. She said the neighbor’s dog was startled about 4 a.m., which was unusual.

Residents are asked to do all they can to avoid attracting bears. That includes keeping garbage away from the bears and picking up fruit from trees in their yards.

To report nuisance bear activity, call NDOW’s Bear Hotline at 775-688-BEAR (2327). For information about living among bears, go to www.ndow.org and find the ”Bear Logic” page.