A bear was shot by a homeowner after the animal was caught raiding a chicken coop in Bradbury over the weekend, officials said.
The homeowner spotted the bear in the 1400 block of Lemon Avenue and shot it once with a rifle.
The bear was mortally wounded and had to be euthanized by California Fish and Wildlife officials, which upset some neighbors in the area.
Gina Ammon said that she often sees bears during her walks, but doesn’t feel threatened by them.
“We chose to live here, they didn’t choose for us to live here,” she said. “I’ve never seen any of them be aggressive. Just hungry.”
Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy, however, said the shooting was justified because the homeowner felt threatened.
“There is a specific law that authorizes this man in this case to shoot and kill the offending bear as it’s in the process of either killing or threatening to harm his livestock, and that is very much what happened in this case,” Foy explained.
The bear was with two cubs when it was shot, and officials say the cubs can survive without their mother.
