Bear Beach? Sightings on the Rise at Crowded Lake Tahoe Destination
Pope Beach is a popular place for locals and tourists to take in the summer sun in South Lake Tahoe. It’s now also a place where bear sightings are on the rise.
For the second time in a week, a family of bears was spotted on the crowded beach taking a dip in the lake and sniffing around for human food. The above video shows the visit – one that was very similar to another visit seen just a week prior.
In late June, a bear family was seen visiting the same beach, with momma bear stealing food while the cubs played in the water. It was a cute video, but one that shows people filming the encounter and getting much too close for comfort to the wild animals:
It’s unknown whether it was the same bear family, but they certainly looked familiar. The visits from the bears highlight the increasing encounters between tourists and local bears in Tahoe. Recently, a bear was shot by a tourist after it had broken into his vacation rental.
The videos of these bears are certainly cute, but it’s important to stay far away from them in these type of situations. Get big and start yelling to shoo them away from crowded areas. The more comfortable they get in these scenarios, the more bear-human conflict will occur in Tahoe.
