In a daring act of bravery, a South Lake Tahoe, California nature enthusiast, Toogee Sielsch, recently evicted a large black bear from a crawlspace beneath a house.
Sielsch, who frequently documents his encounters with the local wildlife on his Instagram page, crawled into the confined space and fired several rounds from a paintball gun to scare the bear away.
Sielsch's Instagram profile is a testament to his passion for South Lake Tahoe's urbanized black bear population. On December 26, 2023, he posted a video of himself peering into a crawlspace beneath a building, paintball gun at the ready. The video shows Sielsch crawling into the space, followed by the sound of the paintball gun firing eight times. A large black bear then emerges from the crawlspace, with the paintball gun firing once more as it retreats.
As the bear, affectionately named "B," fled the scene, Sielsch can be heard praising it. An onlooker comments on the bear's size, to which Sielsch responds, "Oh yeah, hes 500 pounds, easy," as he emerges from the crawlspace, flashlight in hand.
In an Instagram post, Sielsch shared both good and bad news. The good news was that he had found B33, a bear he had not seen since early November. The bad news was that he had to evict B33 from beneath an occupied house. Sielsch reassured his followers that the bear would be fine and would likely find a safer spot to hibernate. He warned against attempting such a feat without proper training and experience.
Sielsch explained to Fox News Digital that the bear's name, B33, originated from an earlier encounter when the bear was tagged with a collar. He first met the bear when it weighed about 150 pounds and had a collar around its neck. A year later, the bear had grown to 400 pounds but still wore the collar. Sielsch and wildlife officials were able to tranquilize the bear and remove the collar, saving its life.
Over the years, Sielsch has developed a familiarity with B33, describing the bear as one of his greatest mentors in understanding bear behavior. He performs about 30 bear evictions per year, all free of charge.
Sielsch's encounter with B33 is not an isolated incident. He performs approximately 30 bear evictions annually, each one pro bono. "It's kind of become my passion," Sielsch said, emphasizing that it's not his job. After each eviction, he often distributes electric bear mats, which are livestock fences converted into mats with electric voltage, to deter bears from returning. "I love my community and this is how I pay them back."
Sielsch clarified to Fox News Digital that he doesn't always resort to crawling under houses or using paintball guns. Often, he simply shouts to scare the bears away. He reiterated his Instagram warning, advising against attempting to evict a bear without extensive training and experience. "Safety is the most important factor," he emphasized.
Earlier this year, Sielsch filmed a black bear crawling under a structure, indicative of the local population's emergence from their urban dens.
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