The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it has euthanized a black bear that had become aggressive in attempting to break into homes in southwest Michigan. This bear was captured on video by a YouTube user in Hartford, Mich., on May 22, 2015. Photo courtesy of YouTube.
STEVENSVILLE, Michigan — A bear believed to be the same one that spent much of last year in the New Buffalo and Michigan City area is now dead.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the black bear was trapped Saturday near Grand Mere State Park outside Stevensville and euthanized after it repeatedly attempted to enter both occupied and unoccupied homes.
The trap was set after a Stevensville area resident on April 2 turned on the back porch light to see the bear on the deck. The animal stood up on its hind legs and began pushing on the sliding glass door and didn't leave for 15 minutes when law enforcement showed up, said MDNR spokesman Mark Sargent.
Such behavior under the Michigan Problem Bear Guidelines placed the bear into a category of being a potential threat to public safety and the bear was viewed as 'no longer being fearful of humans and not easily scared off,' according to an MDNR news release.
'We were at a level where we were really worried about public safety,' said Sargent, who added that relocating the bear would simply be relocating the potential problem.
The bear's body is now at the Wildlife Disease Laboratory at Michigan State University in East Lansing for testing to determine the age, weight and if any health conditions existed.
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