Kenneth Johnson first noticed signs of an uninvited guest living under his Altadena home earlier this year.
In April, Johnson saw that bricks around his home’s crawl space were torn out, and the wooden frame covering the crawl space was broken.
After spotting more damage in June, he installed a camera. Last week, the 63-year-old finally identified the culprit: a bear had moved in and made a home underneath Johnson’s abode.
“I don’t know how it got under there. It must be a contortionist,” he told The Times. “This thing is so big its stomach touches the ground.”
According to camera footage obtained by Johnson, the bear appears to have a yellow tag on its left ear. The bear, whose sex is unknown, has brown fur but the type of species is yet to be confirmed by authorities. In one video, the bear seems to struggle to get out of the tight space, using its paws to move its body out.
“It’s uncomfortable walking into the kitchen thinking there’s a bear over there,” Johnson said. “I don’t think he’s any harm to me as long as I don’t go down the side of the house while he’s coming out.”
The bear, however, startled Johnson when it roared at him Friday morning.
“I was shaking like a leaf for half an hour,” he said. Even his cat, Boo, is terrified of their downstairs neighbor, he added.
For the most part, the bear keeps to itself and is not aggressive — some neighbors have seen it roam the area before, Johnson said. The bear leaves Johnson’s home during the day, possibly in search of food, and returns at night, according to camera footage.
Johnson, who creates model train content on YouTube, has had his fair share of wildlife sightings. On Christmas Day in 2017, he saw a small bear cub run across his yard. His security cameras once captured a bobcat walking past a feral cat on his property. And a skunk once sprayed him as he walked by the side of his house.
“One time my dad was in the garage, he kicked something in front of the refrigerator that he felt moved and he couldn’t see too well. They called animal control and it was an eight-foot boa constrictor,” Johnson said. “We’re used to seeing wildlife in Altadena. But it’s changed because of drought and fire.”
In January, the Eaton fire scorched more than 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena and displaced thousands of residents and wildlife. The next month, Pasadena residents found a 500-pound bear, nicknamed “Yogi,” living underneath their home after they were forced to evacuate due to the fire. The bear was relocated to the Angeles National Forest, according to a Times report.
Johnson said he has two potential names for the bear, depending on its sex: Ursa or Barry. He contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but has yet to hear from them due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Fish and Wildlife did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.
Johnson said he last saw the bear crawling around at 6 a.m. Saturday, adding, “And it hasn’t left since.”
“I feel okay with it,” he said, “but I want him to get out.”
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