A 175-pound mama black bear and her three fuzzy cubs have made a rare home in the Santa Monica Mountains near Topanga Canyon, drawing a warm welcome from neighbors and hikers — from a safe distance.
Doorbell and backyard cameras — plus routine dog walkers — are catching glimpses of the furry family as they nose around local trails and creek beds. Officials say the bears began leaving their den this spring, with reports of sightings continuing through summer.
State wildlife officials confirmed in March 2025 that the mother, known as BB14, was denning with three cubs in a remote part of Topanga Canyon. During a den check, they documented two male cubs and one female, and sightings picked up in May with reports continuing through August.
BB14’s travels have made her a minor local celebrity, KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reports. The mama bear’s story started back in May 2024, when she was captured in Claremont, fitted with a GPS collar and released in the Angeles National Forest. She later appeared in the Simi Hills and in Chatsworth, where officials rescued her from a tree and returned her to the forest. She roamed through Sylmar, Malibu and Calabasas — even popping up on the Pepperdine University campus — before settling down to have her cubs this spring.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, BB14 has twice been captured and moved to a remote habitat in the Angeles National Forest after getting stuck in urban areas, yet she kept returning to the Santa Monica Mountains, successfully crossing several busy freeways to do so. Officials say the family appears to be doing well and urge residents and visitors to keep trash and other food sources secured so the bears can remain wild.
“Now it’s largely up to residents and visitors to keep these bears from accessing human-sourced food and garbage so that they can thrive in the wild,” said CDFW information officer Peter Tira.
Neighbors are getting used to the new arrivals. “She was in the front digging through our trash,” said Emma, a local resident who works at a nearby coffee shop, after her camera captured the bear outside her home on Wednesday night. Emma said she’s keeping her bins locked and wants the family left alone: “I want her to just do her thing. This is her home… She’s a new mom. She’s got babies.”
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