An adorable bear cub who has a habit of making friends with visitors at a ski resort could be euthanised due to her sociability.
The fluffy little brown bear has been filmed a couple of times approaching visitors at the Northstar resort in California, where footage shows her giving the humans a cautious sniff and investigating their equipment.
The cub appears to be very friendly and not at all violent, however wildlife experts say it’s so dangerous for the bear to be comfortable around humans that they may have to kill her.
Aaron King shared a video of the curious bear on Facebook, along with the caption:
I met a bear that I am teaching to snowboard.
Ann Bryant, executive director at Bear League, a non-profit dedicated to keeping bears safe and wild in their natural habitat, explained to NBC that if the bear still attempted to approach people when she was fully grown, it would be much more threatening.
She said:
This cub approached people because she didn’t know any better. This is very rare.
Let’s say she goes back into the wild and she grows up and adds about two to three hundred pounds on to her weight.’
Bryant continued:
She’s big, she’s strong, and she still thinks she can approach people? That’s not going to be good and somebody is going to shoot her.
Bryant believes the cub’s mother may have died, and so the cub approached humans in an attempt to seek comfort or food.
Another snowboarder, Brian Jordan, also came across the little brown animal a few days ago, and shared the above video on Instagram.
The caption read:
Made a friend today. Yeah I’m pretty sure it’s not the best for the cub, and momma was on vacation or something but it was too cool not to say whaddup.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife have reportedly removed the cub from the ski resort so she can be analysed.
After their tests are completed, the officials will decide whether to put the bear cub in a sanctuary or put her down.
They could choose to euthanise the bear out of fear for public safety if she is too comfortable with people, NBC report.
It seems unnecessary to euthanise the animal when it could be put into a sanctuary. Hopefully she won’t be put down for her friendly nature.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to stories@unilad.co.uk.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.