California Mom Faces Backlash After Friend Shoots Bear to Protect Her Family

A self-proclaimed animal lover defended her decision to have a bear shot after it broke into her home on two consecutive days—though she has faced backlash for the move.

Julie Faith Strauja, a mother of three from Forest Falls in San Bernardino County, Calif., applied for a depredation permit from the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife after the bear tried to enter her home for the third day in a row. The next day, July 31, her friend shot the animal dead.

Strauja has since faced the wrath of her fellow Forest Falls residents, receiving death threats and even having her address posted on social media.

Despite this, she said she hasn’t regretted the bear’s death. She told the LA Times: “It was a decision I had to make for the safety and welfare of my children and my home.

“I tried to use non-lethal ways of dealing with him,” she continued. “But nothing was stopping him, and I just didn’t think there was any other option.”