Man Fends Off Bear with a Shovel on Lake Tahoe Beach

An afternoon at South Lake Tahoe’s Pope Beach took a wild turn when a black bear wandered onto the shore and began rummaging through a cooler filled with drinks and cookies. Despite the owner’s attempt to scare the bear away by tossing a beach chair, the bear remained completely unfazed, continuing its search for easy calories.

The situation escalated when an unnamed man intervened, armed with a long-handled shovel. The man banged the shovel against a picnic table, trees, and eventually the bear’s nose, successfully driving the bear back into the forest.

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Visitors to Lake Tahoe are reminded to keep their areas tidy and to dispose of all food in bear-proof trash cans to prevent bear encounters. While beaches might not seem like typical bear hangouts, the same precautions as camping apply to avoid unwanted visits from these hungry bears.