A 550-pound bear that was recently removed from an Altadena, California, resident’s crawlspace may have relocated again after being spotted at two other nearby homes, according to a local animal protection nonprofit.
Bear moved between homes as residents reacted differently
Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League, said the bear first left Ken Johnson’s home and went into the crawlspace of another house in the community where it had stayed before. Bryant said that the homeowner welcomed the bear and did not request removal, and the animal remained there for about a day.
Bryant said the bear then moved to a third home, where the owner did not want it on the property. She said the BEAR League was contacted and helped place electrical mats to deter the bear and encourage it to leave. The bear stayed there for three days before leaving Sunday night around 9:30 p.m., Bryant said.
The bear’s current whereabouts are unknown.
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Wildlife officials urge residents to secure crawlspaces and remove attractants
California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it had not received reports about the latest incident. In a statement to ABC News, the agency urged residents to secure crawlspace access points, remove attractants such as pet food and garbage, and keep grills clean.
The department noted bears have a powerful sense of smell and can detect food from up to 5 miles away. Officials also advised people not to corner a bear, to give it an escape route, make themselves look large, make noise, and slowly back away toward a building or vehicle.
The homeowner previously described the bear’s presence as frightening
Johnson previously said a black bear had been living under his home for more than a month. Johnson, 63, told ABC’s Los Angeles station KABC that the bear sounded “like a dragon” and frightened him. He also said the bear damaged a gas line, forcing him to shut off the gas.
Sources:
ABC News / Bear spotted at two more homes after removal from Altadena crawlspace, nonprofit says
KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles) / Altadena homeowner says bear lived under his house for a month
