Hanover — News that a bear sow and her yearling cubs will be euthanized in Hanover has sparked outrage from Upper Valley residents, a petition to save the animals and a plea from an eminent bear biologist in Lyme.

State wildlife experts say the bears must be trapped and killed because, after eating from bird feeders and human trash and even entering a house, they appear to have become too accustomed to humans to become wild again.

In an interview today, the biologist, Ben Kilham, questioned whether killing the bears was a solution. Bear breeding season is approaching, which means that the female soon will send her cubs away in anticipation of a male’s arrival, Kilham said.