A group of NC activists have protested on Thursday against the killing of a 3-legged bear that often visited the residents of Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The latter claim they were afraid the bear could injure them and they decided to haunt and kill him, Reuters reports.

Mountain Air residents are not keen on receiving bear visits. The community first acknowledged the presence of a 3-legged bear in November 2011, but authorities did not immediately respond to their request. NC activists claim they were looking for a solution to move the nuisance bear in a special sanctuary, but the residents of the North Carolina region took the decision to kill the animal in August.

People claim the bear had become increasingly dangerous in the last days of his life. He kept breaking into people’s homes for food, rummaging through their garbage bins and walking freely on their golf course. Even though they felt sorry for him, they were afraid that the nuisance bear could attack children, so they agreed to shoot the ailing animal.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission puts the blame on the state’s rules and regulations. According to them, the adoption of non-lethal rules regarding the treatment of nuisance bears is what the community needs in order to protect these animals in the future. “When it comes to nuisance bears, the state’s policy is simple: shoot them,” Millie Bowling said. The activists will continue to make protests until the state will consider new laws for the protection of the wildlife species.

This is not the first violent episode taking place against wildlife animals. Last year, nine penned deer were killed on a property in North Carolina in order to test them against the disease called chronic wasting. In addition, the state passed a law which allows the haunting of coyotes even though they reside in close proximity with the small population of red wolves, one of the world’s most endangered species.