Family goat killed by bear

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    SOLANO COUNTY, California (KOVR) — The Flores ranch in rural Solano County was quiet Wednesday afternoon, but they had a rude and ravaging ruckus that happened at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, according to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office.

“I thought it was probably like a cat or something, but I was told it was one of the goats. And well my dad went outside and he said it was a bear. I was like ‘Oh, my God!’ ” Maritza Flores said.

A bear crashed into their backyard, attacking and killing one of their family goats. Some were frightened.

“I know my dad was, but I wasn’t because I kept my distance. And it didn’t seem like it was going to attack us so it’s going to be fine,” Flores said.

Flores and her family may have only lost a pet goat, but she’s also left with some questions.

“We live on a ranch. How could a bear get here? That’s crazy,” she said.

CBS13 wanted to know, too, seeing as in a week’s time, it’s the second bear sighting in the area.

A young brown bear was found near UC Davis campus before it was hit and killed by a car on Highway 113 last Wednesday.

Not to mention, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office said there has been an increase of calls regarding mountain lion attacks two weeks ago.

California Department Fish and Wildlife told CBS13 that this is the time where young bears, mountain lions and others are forced into the wild on their own from their mothers.

“They’re on their own for the first time, and they get lost and they end up in town where they shouldn’t be. They end up, unfortunately, hit by cars,” Peter Tira of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. “It’s young dispersing mountain lions, young dispersing bear cubs trying to find their way in the world.”

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office is working with Fish and Wildlife to track down the bear that tore into the Flores’ ranch – all with the hopes it looks elsewhere for the bare necessities.

“All of the cops have everything they have. Hopefully it doesn’t come back, or they catch it,” Flores said.

Fish and Wildlife also told CBS13 that animals coming down and staying after the devastating wildfires we saw last year might be unlikely in the long term. The department said they tend to return back to their original habitats fairly quickly after being displaced for a short period of time.

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