SOURCE: Beloved Bear Euthanized After Viral Video Shows Close Encounter with Campers
According to a source, a beloved bear in the Mammoth Lakes area has been euthanized following a run-in with campers at the Coldwater Campground.
A video shared to social media shows “Victor” the bear, who frequents the area, rummaging through food at a campsite and eventually swiping at the leg of a camper, who was hospitalized from the incident:
Following the incident, the Mammoth Lakes Police Department shared a statement on the incident:
On August 21, 2024, at approximately 8:45 PM, Officers were notified that a patient was admitted to the hospital after being swiped by a black bear in a campground within the Mammoth Lakes Basin. The patient was treated and released that evening. Wildlife Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were also notified and responded. Wildlife Officers obtained forensic samples from the subject and rushed them to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Sacramento to attempt to obtain a DNA profile of the offending bear.
Although the fate of the bear has not been confirmed by any law enforcement or wildlife officials, social media posts confirm the bear was euthanized:
Residents of the area are infuriated at the outcome of the event, with the video showing the camper standing close to the bear without moving out of its way. It was the perfect example of how not to handle a bear encounter, and leaves bear enthusiasts saddened by the approach from wildlife officials.
On social media, people celebrated Victor’s life:
@rigotravels A very sad post today. I got word that Victor the bear was euthanized a few days ago. He was a local bear in the Mammoth Lakes, Lakes basin area. I was fortunate enough to have multiple encounters with him over the last two years. He was known for walking through campgrounds and eating food from the campers, but he hadn’t made contact until recently. A video surfaced online showing a group of campers watching him eat food from their site. While it sounded as if they were trying to scare it away, the efforts seemed minimal. In that same video, a person is standing on a stump, about 5ft away from Victor. Which means that this person made no effort to walk away, and give him space. This unfortunately leads to Victor swiping, and hitting the person in their legs… a day or so after, he was found and euthanized by fish and wildlife. Such a terrible ending for a beautiful bear. People, please educate yourselves when visiting towns that have wildlife. Bears, coyotes, deer, etc… things like this happen because people come to places like Mammoth, without doing their due diligence and think everything up here is a chance for an IG story. The lack of common sense in this instance, cost him his life, and at what cost? A small video. All you had to do was give him his space, and try and scare away from a distance. RIP Victor, im sorry it had to end this way. #mammothlakes #california #bears #bearawareness ? Gods creation – daniel.mp3
Do you think they should have euthanized Victor?
