A bear that was given food by tourists so it would pose for selfies was killed because it had become too used to humans, officials say

A 100-pound black bear was killed by Oregon state officials on Thursday out of fear that the animal had become too accustomed to humans, according to the Statesman Journal. The bear is said to have been between the ages of 2 and 3 years old.

According to the Statesman Journal, the bear had become so used to being fed by humans that people could often get close enough to take selfies with the animal. And just days before its death, the animal was spotted in close proximity to humans at Scoggins Valley Park in Oregon's Washington County on June 4, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

On Tuesday, the bear was spotted yet again in the same area, prompting at least two people to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office about the animal, according to the Statesman Journal. Local police also asked residents over Twitter on Wednesday to be vigilant and stay away from the area. 

"Deputies are working to get this bear cub near Hagg Lake to go back into the woods... please stay away from the area near Boat Ramp A," the tweet from Washington County Sheriff's Office said. 

While the bear had likely interacted with humans since its birth, according to the Statesman Journal, large boating crowds who recently visited the area are likely responsible for feeding the animal

Farther away from Scoggins Valley Park, the bear was spotted on Thursday "eating trail mix, sunflower seeds, and cracked corn" alongside other food that was seemingly left intentionally by humans, according to the Statesman Journal. Kurt License, a wildlife biologist, told the Statesman Journal that the bear didn't flinch when humans walked up to it as it ate.

"It was very clear that the animal was way too habituated," License told the Statesman Journal. "With that information, it was a human health and safety risk, and we had to remove it."

On Friday, Oregon state officials confirmed via Twitter that they had killed the bear. Rick Swart, a member of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Statesman Journal that the decision was influenced by past cases in which he said habituated bears were relocated and placed into situations that were more dangerous than where they came from. 

Read more: Here are some cute photos of a orphaned bear cub that a mountain village in Bosnia took in

Deputy Brian van Kleef from the Washington County Sheriff's Office told the Statesman Journal that the team is "sad it ended this way." 

Explore BI Games

Take a smarter break in your day - and see how far you get.

Play now

Want more Business Insider in your news feed?

Add BI in Google so our reporting is easier to find when you’re searching for what matters.

Add to Preferred Sources

"Obviously no one wants to see a bear get killed, especially its many human fans," he said. "But I think it was the human interaction that ultimately led to its tragic end."

On Twitter, some people criticized officials in Oregon for killing the young bear

After sharing its initial warning on Twitter about the animal being spotted near Hagg Lake on Wednesday, the Washington County Sheriff's Office tweeted less than an hour later to say that the bear had "wandered back into the woods."

Two days later, the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to one Twitter user to confirm that the bear had been killed.

"This was a tough decision the wildlife experts at the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife had to make for the safety of everyone," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter. "Relocation wasn't an option in this case. Humans shouldn't feed wild bears. It's a very sad situation."

The police department does not appear to have shared a separate update on Twitter to announce the bear's death.

Some people have since criticized the local police for killing the animal, which they believe should have been relocated to a sanctuary.

Representatives for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Washington County Sheriff's Office did not immediately reply to INSIDER's request for comment.

• Read more:
• An alligator was seen swimming with a knife lodged in its head — but officials believe it's probably not in pain
• People are freaking out after North Carolina officials posted about 'zombie' snakes that can roll over and play dead, but they are not as scary as they sound
• Tourists in Japan are flocking to 'otter cafés,' but there's evidence that the animals are illegally taken from the wild and kept in small cages
• Tourists from all over the world go to see Morocco's 'goat trees,' but there's evidence that the animals are being tied against their will