RIP Victor, Mammoth Lakes' most famous bear

Recently, a bear from Mammoth Lakes was euthanized, aka killed, by a ranger from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on or around August 25, 2024. It was reported that the bear, affectionately know as Victor, took a swipe at a human who had not provoked him and had tried to move away from the bear by standing on a tree stump. The video circulating on the internet, and shown on The Bear Whisperer's Facebook page, tells quite a different story.

If you read comments on Instagram and elsewhere, it appears that some people question what the campers could have done differently. Just to be clear, this bear was not killed for stealing food, he was killed for "attacking" a human being. This bear was well known for cruising around Lake Mary, Lake George, and the Coldwater Campground looking for an easy meal. He had become accustomed to humans and he did associate them with food, which can be a big problem. However, he had been in this area for years, doing the same thing, without incident. I am no bear expert, and I am not sure the campers could have prevented him from getting their food, but they sure as hell should have moved further away from the bear. Towards the end of the video you can see the person standing on a tree stump directly next to Victor. This person could have easily backed away to a safe distance while the bear was busy eating their steak. It would have been so simple to save Victors life, but these campers were more concerned with getting some footage for social media than respecting wildlife.

To be honest, the person on the tree stump is lucky to be alive. Despite the calm demeanor of this wild animal, he is still a bear, and he is still wild, and he could easily kill a person. Taking the risk of standing right next to a wild animal is something that no person should ever do. Victor the bear was killed simply because of these campers carelessness. Please note, the photo in this blog post is not of Victor, this another local bear that regularly walks right through my yard and the photo was taken a safe distance away from my deck.