Portland — Officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife killed a young black bear near Haag Lake on Thursday after the creature had become habituated to humans because so many people were feeding it, authorities said.
Wildlife officials were called to the intersection of Scoggins Valley Road and Herr Road near the lake, which sits about 30 miles west of Portland near Forest Grove, Thursday morning. It was not their first interaction with the animal, which biologists had seen eating trail mix, sunflower seeds and cracked corn, among other items.
On Wednesday, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that a black bear had been spotted near the boat ramp and that deputies were attempting to shoo the animal back into the woods. They were successful, they subsequently tweeted, but the bear returned the next day.
Officials with the state said they’d also seen numerous “selfies” people had taken with the bear near the lake posted to social media.