2 bears trapped at Lake Tahoe safely returned to wilderness

Two black bears that were caught in separate traps at Lake Tahoe last week have been returned safely to the wilderness along the Sierra’s eastern front.

Nevada Department of Wildlife officials trapped the two male bears on Friday, one on the north shore in Incline Village and the other on the south shore near Stateline.

The 3-year-old, 175-pounder caught at Stateline was released Saturday near the Kingsbury Grade above the lake. The other one, an 8-year-old weighing about 300 pounds, was released in the Sweetwater Mountains southeast of Gardnerville.

A third bear was hit and killed by a car Friday on U.S. Highway 395 near Topaz Lake along the Nevada-California line. It was the 10th area bear hit and killed by a vehicle this year, compared to 18 in 2014.