NC police shoot and kill backyard bear

WINSTON-SALEM -- Police in North Carolina have shot and killed a bear found pawing through trash cans in someone's backyard. Multiple media outlets reported that Winston-Salem police perceived the animal as a threat and shot it late Monday. The officers did not explain the reason. City sanitation workers removed the bear. Residents in the area have recently reported bear sightings. The bear population in North Carolina has nearly tripled since 1971, from 4,000 bears then to an estimated 11,000 bears in 2004. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)