Bear euthanized; three cub bears released

A male black bear was euthanized Friday in Genoa for depredating on livestock. The bear, estimated to be six years of age, had been handled by NDOW personnel two other times.

On April 29 of this year, a bear killed four goats inside an enclosure in Genoa. A trap was set and a bear was caught, but it could not be determined if the bear that had been captured had killed the livestock.

Because a positive identification of the offending bear could not be made, the bear in the trap, wearing ear tag “Yellow No. 43” was taken to an area about 80 miles south of Gardnerville and released.

The bear first received its identifying ear tag in March of 2013 when it was captured near a lambing area in Jacks Valley, just north of Genoa.

Black bear “Yellow No. 43” returned to Genoa this past week, punched a hole in the side of a small barn and entered the enclosure, killing two goats.

The offending bear was caught in a NDOW trap Friday morning and, once it was properly identified, was euthanized by Department of Wildlife personnel.

This is the first bear killed in 2014 for depredating on livestock. Two bears were euthanized in 2013 for the same reason.

Cubs released

Three five-month old black bear cubs were captured and released Wednesday on Kingsbury Grade near Stateline. Nevada Department of Wildlife personnel captured the three cubs in a trap, but the mother of the bears eluded capture.

The cubs, a female and two males, were tranquilized and processed by a NDOW biologist with the female bear never more than about 40 yards away while the cubs were being examined.

The cubs, weighing from 15 to 22 pounds, were released and reunited with their mother as soon as they awakened from the effects of the tranquilizer.

The female is estimated to be about 19 years of age and has had at least three litters and 10 cubs since she was first captured in 2004 by NDOW.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is asking people to do all they can to keep bears safe and wild by removing any attractants on their property which might lead bears getting into trouble. Persons needing to report nuisance bear activity can call the NDOW’s Bear Hotline telephone number at (775) 688-BEAR (2327). For information on living with bears persons can go to www.ndow.org and find the ”Bear Logic” page on the web.