Brown Bear Hit By Car In La Canada Flintridge Has To Be Euthanized
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE (CBSLA.com) — A brown bear was hit by a car Sunday morning in La Canada Flintridge and apparently suffered a leg injury.
Sheriff's deputies arrived at Foothill Boulevard and Gould Avenue just after 7 a.m. when the bear was struck.
They were unable to locate the animal. About six hours later, a second bear sighting was called in.
At this time, the bear -- weighing between 150-200 pounds -- was reportedly spotted sitting under a tree behind a Starbucks coffee shop near where the bear was struck by the car. The caller said she had been watching the bear who walked with a noticeable limp.
Fish and Game officials came to the location, spotted the bear after it had gone up a tree and tranquilized the animal.
In a written statement from the Crescenta Valley Station, Sergeant Cynthia Gonzales explained that after closer inspection, it was determined the bears wounds suffered in the collision with the car were "catastrophic."
The bear was euthanized about 4 p.m., she said, to "end the bear's suffering."
"No one at the Department of Fish and Game ever wants this to happen, but its injuries were too serious for it to survive naturally," said Andrew Hughan, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game.
Anyone with information regarding the traffic collision, is asked to contact the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 818-248-3464.
