File photo (Getty Images)
ELY, Minn. - A conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shot and killed a collared black bear on Thursday, August 2 in the Ely area. The officer was called to the area when a bear entered a garage where children were present and would not leave the area.
The residents of the home called the DNR after they tried unsuccessfully to scare the bear out of the garage. They attempted to scare the bear with an air horn and other methods and the bear snarled at them.
Two conservation officers from the DNR arrived and attempted to frighten the bear to get it to leave the area. After the bear refused to leave, the officer shot and killed it. The officers said that the bear appeared to be used to humans possibly through hand feeding.
The bear had been collared by a local research organization and officials there have been contacted. The DNR will examine the bear for diseases.
It is DNR policy and state law that conservation officers or other law enforcement officials may kill nuisance bears if it is determined that the bear is a threat to public safety. They generally do not trap and relocated bears because the animals often return to the same area or create problems elsewhere.
(Copyright 2012 by KARE. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)