The Lake Tahoe region is known for epic ski runs, sparkling azure waters, and a dense population of black bears.
Unfortunately, those first two items often bring the bears into contact with tourists who don’t know how to behave when encountering the animals — much less understand how to use the myriad bearproof trash containers that speckle the communities around the lake.
Riley McClaughry, a local filmmaker in Tahoe, decided to do something about it. He spent 6 months documenting the lives of black bears in the area. In particular, McClaughry shapes his film around how humans around the lake impact the lives of their braun neighbors.
The film is chock full of stirring wildlife footage. But it also delivers a gut punch with plenty of shots of Tahoe’s bears wandering around condos and restaurants looking for a bite.
And ultimately, as the saying goes, a fed bear is a dead bear.
If you’re headed into bear country any time soon (or know somebody who is), give this a share. It might just save a bear’s life.
Runtime: 12 minutes
