A bear nicknamed "Hope" is slated for euthanization after a reported dozen incursions into people's homes in just the last three months, but Tahoe bear activists are fighting back, while concerned about what will happen with Hope's young cub.

In this summer's exploits of bears breaking into human habitats for food, there have been some scary incidents. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) had to euthanize a bear in late June after its attacks hospitalized one person and harassed several other campers at Eagle Point Campground. Then in late August, a bear known as "bear 753" nearly caused a house to burn down when it broke in and somehow left the gas stovetops on full blast.

"The female bear carries the yellow ear tag numbered 753 and is well-known to CDFW and the local community," the CDFW said in a warning. "This particular bear has a long history of home invasions and escalating conflict behavior in South Lake Tahoe dating to 2022. Since July 20, 2025, DNA evidence has linked this bear to at least 12 home incursions in South Lake Tahoe of both occupied and unoccupied homes."

As bear 753's break-ins have continued to rack up, the CDFW has decided to euthanize the bear, according to KPIX. But a group called Bear League, who took these photos and videos of this bear they call Hope and her cub named Bounce, is putting up a fight to save the bear that's slated to be killed.

KPIX has confirmed that the state agency has decided to euthanize the bear. "CDFW had determined that the bear is 'habituated' - meaning it has learned to associate people, homes and neighborhoods as sources of food and has become completely reliant and dependent on those human food sources," the agency said in a statement to KPIX. "Consequently, CDFW has determined that management action is required, and bear 753 has been approved for lethal removal."

The CDFW adds that "This sow and now its dependent cub have repeatedly broken into homes, including occupied homes and including situations that were no fault of the property owners. Obviously, this creates an unsafe situation when an adult bear is actively looking to break into homes and other buildings."

The CDFW insists they are not setting traps for these bears. But as seen above, the folks at Bear League disagree, and claim they've seen the traps.

"I cry regularly about it. It's awful they think the only thing they can do is kill the bear," Bear League volunteer team leader Kathi Zollinger tells KPIX. "She's not the only one doing this. There are six moms in the area we are aware of. What are they going to do? Kill them all? That is ridiculous."

And obviously, people are very concerned as to what would become of that little cub Bounce if their mother was to be killed.

"The cub will be evaluated if and when we are able to catch it," the CDFW told KPIX. "Our goal was to get the cub into a permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility - to break this generational pattern of human conflict and home invasions - and return it to the wild in the spring when it is big enough and old enough to care for itself."

The folks at the Bear League dispute that these incidents are break-ins and maintain that people are simply being too careless about locking doors, closing windows, and managing their trash. The Bear League also encourages people to wire their homes with systems that provide the bears with a shock when they encroach, though it's hard to imagine that would be widely adopted given the cost.

So Tahoe residents are encouraged to lock up their houses securely, keep their trash inaccessible to wildlife, and clear fruit from their yards as frequently as possible. But as far as the fate of "bear 753" Hope and her cub Bounce, that may not be enough, now that she's on a state agency's "hit list."

Related: Black Bear Commandeers Tahoe Ice Cream Shop, Woofs Down Strawberry Ice Cream [SFist]