Residents of a Los Angeles suburb are protesting that a local black bear was euthanized and using the bear’s death to advocate for their furry neighbors.

Blondie, as locals have affectionately named the mama bear to two cubs, was euthanized after swiping at a resident who was walking her dog on March 14 in Monrovia, a city on the edge of the Angeles National Forrest. DNA testing confirmed that the mother bear captured following this incident was also responsible for a “previous attack on an elderly resident sitting on his Monrovia porch.”

Monrovia locals Ricardo Martinez and Brian Gordon started the “Save Blondie” petition the moment she was caught, knowing that euthanasia would be on the table. Yet, shortly after Blondie was captured, she was euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW.

Monrovia residents, who are used to coexisting with California wildlife, were shocked at news of the swiping incident, especially involving a bear that many had seen in the area before.

“We don’t feel in danger at our home, even seeing bears. We know what to do, and we try to have practices that make sure that we’re not in danger and they’re not in danger,” Gordon told NBC News.

Gordon described Monrovia as a “bubble.” Trash cans have bear proof lids, people never leave food in their cars, and residents have casual interactions with bears on the street — where they always give the bear the right-of-way.

“The community was mourning, because we treat these critters like neighbors, you know, and we see them, we know them,” Gordon said.

In the days after the swiping incident, Blondie paid a visit to Gordon and Martinez’s backyard. She took a dip in the pool and scratched herself on a telephone pole before leaving.

In their petition, Martinez and Gordon wrote that black bears can become defensive if they feel their cubs are in danger. Cort Klopping, a spokesperson for the CDFW, told NBC News that the cubs were not present during the swiping incident, leading the department to determine that the sow was not acting to protect her cubs.

Martinez and Gordon’s petition had garnered local attention, with about 3,000 signatures and residents expressing concern over the fate of Blondie’s two cubs, by the time Blondie was euthanized.

The CDFW told NBC News that the decision followed “thorough assessment of the bear’s behavior and the circumstances of the incident.” Euthanasia, the CDFW said, is only used “as a last resort when an animal poses a risk to public safety and cannot be safely returned to the wild.”

Now, locals are advocating for more transparency from the CDFW, education around bear safety, and due process for bears deemed public safety risks.

Martinez called the department’s policy “contradicting,” particularly around whether or not euthanasia is truly viewed as a last resort.

“We’re seeing ‘euthanasia is the last resort,’ but then if you have a bear that’s deemed a Public Safety Bear, which anybody in CDFW or law enforcement officials could deem them a Public Safety Bear, then euthanasia needs to be conducted as soon as possible,” Martinez said.

The CDFW rebutted relocation as an option, saying it still puts public safety at risk. “Bears have strong spatial memory and often return to familiar areas,” the CDFW said. “When translocated long distances, they recreate the same conflict behavior or struggle to survive in unfamiliar habitat.”

Klopping stressed that euthanasia “isn’t something that is taken lightly by the department.” The ideal outcome would be for bears to be translocated right when residents notice that the animal is becoming “habituated” — more dependent on people, and less scared of them. Klopping said the department hopes the public will report sightings of bears living in their neighborhoods.

“The outcome is what all of us would really prefer, which is the bear is translocated to where it belongs, and then people can go on living where people live, and bears can go on living where bears live,” Klopping said.

The original petition has evolved, Martinez said, “from ‘Save Blondie’ to now ‘Honor Blondie,’” by advocating for policy change and pushing for full investigations prior to euthanasia.

“Because the policy right now, it’s euthanasia,” Martinez said. “That’s the answer. Like, if a bear makes contact with people, the bear is gonna be euthanized.”

This weekend, residents remembered Blondie with a two-mile memorial walk, one mile for each of her cubs. Residents walked with signs that read “Mama bear love” and “Blondie didn’t deserve to die,” as well as teddy bear balloons and photos of the beloved bear.