Fish & Wildlife agents forced to euthanize black bear

LACEY - Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) agents were forced to shoot and kill a black bear in Lacey on Saturday afternoon.

Sergeant Greg Haw told Q13Fox News that the 200 pound female black bear showed up in a homeowner's yard off Timberline Drive in Lacey around 2 p.m.

Haw said that the bear was acting strangely and did not appear to fear humans, when DFW agents and Lacey Police responded to the homeowner's property.

For the past week there had been numerous sightings of a bear in the area of Timberline High School and Pioneer Cemetery, Haw said.

In one instance a bear brushed a bicyclist's leg.

DFW agents determined a pattern where the bear was "setting up shop", where the bear would show up, and agents set up a bear trap; the bear, however, avoided the trap.

The bear appeared to be quite old, and was not nursing; there were no cubs accompanying the bear when it showed up, Haw said.

Wildlife agents decided to euthanize the bear after repeated attempts to dart the bear.

Haw said the safety of the public was the main reason agents were forced to put the bear down.

The bear's remains were donated to the Nisqually Tribe.