Mammoth resident John Wallis recently woke up to an unusual surprise. A neighbors knock on the front door informed Wallis that a very large black bear had died in his front yard.

With a swarm of flies and a growing stench, Wallis called the police and animal control to come pick up the enormous carcass which had the look of a stuffed bear that had fallen over on its side.

When Cleland Hoff spoke to Wallis about the deceased bear in his yard on Joaquin St., he described how bears used to winter under his porch before he enclosed it. He can’t be certain that this bear didn’t used to live under his porch, but he did say that there was a trail of blood leading right up to where the bears used to enter the space under the porch.

Mammoth Public Works crews were given the unpleasant task of removing the dead bear. While it may not be the most dignified way to go, this was a big bear. The crews attached a chain to the carcass to tow it a short distance out of the trees. There the animal was scooped up into a loader and hauled away.

What killed the animal is not yet known. Wallis speculated that the bear was shot or hit by a car. Fish and Game officials that we spoke to did not know the cause of death, but did say that unfortunately its amazingly common for bears to get hit by cars.

 

 

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