Bear killed after feeding on livestock near Reno

RENO -- Wildlife officials shot and killed a 540-pound black bear last week that had been killing livestock in Washoe Valley about 25 miles south of Reno.

It was the first nuisance bear euthanized in the area this year.

The 9-year-old bear, which had been feeding on sheep and goats, is one of the largest recorded in the area for its age, said Chris Healy, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. They typically weigh closer to 300 pounds.

"That is a really big bear," Healy said Friday.

Bears that wander into neighborhoods or campgrounds routinely are shot with dart guns, trapped and relocated.

"We do all we can to try to keep them alive. But once they start killing livestock or breaking into homes, that is not an option," Healy said.

"When they are killing livestock, that is one of the zero-tolerance things. If you move it, all you are doing is moving a problem to another area," he said.

Ranchers in the south end of Washoe Valley and west of U.S. Highway 395 near Bellvue Road first started reporting attacks on livestock about two weeks ago.

"It had killed some goats and today it killed three sheep," Healy said Friday.

Bear attacks on livestock are unusual "but not unheard of," he said. "This is an area where people have livestock and it has happened before."

One other bear was euthanized earlier this year but that was because it was struck by a car and was not going to survive, Healy said.

The state averages euthanizing five to 10 nuisance bears a year. Last year, more than 50 bears were killed overall, but most of those were hit by cars, he said.