Baby bear shot by wildlife officials after tourists fed it too much food

A baby bear has been shot and killed after it became too familiar with taking selfies and eating food left by tourists.

Officers from Washington County Sheriff's Office were told that the male bear was posing for pictures with visitors in Scoggins Valley Park in Oregon earlier this month.

The police were eventually forced to step in with wildlife officials at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after tourists were found to be leaving food for the animal by the boating area of the park last Tuesday.

In a tweet, the sheriff's office said: “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 sheriffs' office later tweeted that they were successful at getting the bear back into the woods however it reportedly returned the next day.

Wildlife officials were then forced to shoot the bear after it was found with piles of food intended for humans, including trail mix, sunflower seeds and cracked corn.

“This is a classic example of why we implore members of the public not to feed bears,” wildlife biologist Kurt Licence said to OregonLive.

“While the individuals who put food out for this bear may have had good intentions bears should never, ever be fed.”

The state does not relocate bears that have become accustomed to being around people, officials told the news site.

But they warned that once the animal associated people with food it drastically increases the likelihood of problematic encounters.

Feeding bears food intended for people can also make them sick, Mr Licence added.

“It’s never a good idea to feed wild animals,” he said. “They are perfectly capable of fending for themselves, and it’s always better to leave them alone and enjoy them from a safe distance.”