After thousands of people evacuated the Lake Tahoe area due to wildfires, police say they’ve received dozens of calls about break-ins — from bears.
Wildlife experts say bears are using the opportunity to find food in the abandoned houses, and South Tahoe Police Chief Dave Stevenson said the bears are adapting to the loss of their original habitat.
“Our bears are used to living in a more urban environment,” Stevenson said. “They’re familiar with trash cans, they know which day is garbage day, they know how to open dumpsters and they know when people aren’t home.”
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