May 24, 2010 (United Press International) -- Wildlife officers say they are using a mix of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (NYSE:KKD) , salmon and maple syrup to lure a bear from a Washington residential neighborhood.
Sgt. Kim Chandler of the state Fish and Wildlife Department said the black bear alarming homeowners in Bellevue's Somerset neighborhood acts far too comfortable around humans, the Bellevue Reporter said.
Chandler told the newspaper Sunday, "That's a bear that's absolutely lost its fear of people."
Agents have been trying to trap the animal or permanently scare it from civilization by using loud noises.
The bear appears to wildlife officials to be about 18 months old and possibly recently separated from its mother, the Reporter said.
This time of year, Chandler said, bears emerge from their dens looking for the easiest high-energy foods they can find, and the agency finds itself repeating warnings to residents to clean barbecue grills and remove bird feeders, garbage and pet food.
"It's a message we have to repeat every single year," Chandler said. "We'd like to have a law that makes it a crime to feed wildlife, intentionally or unintentionally."
