Tensions Between Some Tahoe Residents and Wildlife Workers Become Unbearable

Hope, a mama bear who wanders South Lake Tahoe and her cub, Bounce, are creating quite a stir in the picturesque Sierra destination.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Hope is responsible for at least 12 home invasions in the past month. In addition, SF Gate reports that she has been teaching Bounce to forage for food inside people’s homes and trash cans, as well as break into homes with people inside.

Despite the dangers posed to the public by the bear, she and Bounce have many fans among Tahoe’s residents. Last week, when a wildlife employee shooed the pair out of a backyard and up a tree with a paintball gun, an angry crowd from the Bear League, a Facebook Group, showed up and taunted the employee.

Feeling threatened by the crowd shouting vulgarities, the em