Monrovia residents hold memorial walk for euthanized bear

Dozens of people gathered at a Monrovia park on Saturday to mourn the loss of a mother bear that was euthanized after the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) said she harmed two people.

Crowds shuffled into Library Park Saturday afternoon, holding photos of the California black bear and signs memorializing the animal. The bear, affectionately nicknamed “Blondie” by residents in the area, was the mother of two cubs.

The decision to euthanize her came after she swiped at a woman who was walking her dog in Monrovia last week. Following the attack, “Blondie” was tranquilized and captured to collect DNA samples, which determined she was the same bear that clawed at an elderly man on his porch last summer.

Following the two attacks on people, CDFW deemed the bear a public threat and made the decision to euthanize her.

Several Monrovia residents expressed outrage at the decision, saying they would have preferred if wildlife officials had handled the situation differently.

“Something where there’s a program where we can relocate them further away into natural habitat would be so ideal,” said Ashley Howie-Storms, who was at the memorial walk for “Blondie.” “It breaks my heart that euthanasia was an instant answer for this bear because she was a beloved bear in our neighborhood.”

Emily Truong, another attendant of the memorial walk, agreed.

A bear that attacked a woman in Monrovia was tranquilized for DNA testing. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

“We need, all need to do our part to understanding wildlife and educating ourselves and trying not to harm our wildlife as much as possible,” she said.

Cort Klopping, a CDFW spokesperson, said the euthanasia decision was not one that was made lightly.

“It’s not something that we want to do, but public safety is first and foremost of importance to us,” he said.

“This is not the first time that this bear has had this kind of an interaction with a human, so that makes it more concerning,” Klopping said. “It lends itself to more of a pattern of behavior rather than a one-off.”

Wildlife experts said the bear likely was acting on instinct in the most recent attack to protect her babies. Those cubs are now in the care of a wildlife rehabilitation facility and will be released back into their natural habitat once they’re old enough.