A week after a 550-pound bear was evicted from under an Altadena home, another Altadena resident about a mile away reported a bear taking up residency under that home’s floorboards.
Animal control officers from Pasadena Humane confirmed that a bear was living under an Altadena house Sunday but could not be sure if the latest bear squatter was the same bruin from the earlier incident.
As of Tuesday, the latest bear tenant was no longer under the house, a spokesperson from Pasadena Humane confirmed.
“Unfortunately this time of year, it’s often hard to get bears from under houses because they’re looking for shelter,” said Kevin McManus, public relations and communications director at Pasadena Humane. “So they’re gonna cozy up wherever they think is an adequate shelter for them.”
Following confirmation of a bear sighting, Pasadena Humane notified the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has jurisdiction over the state’s 60,000 black bears. California has the highest bear population estimate in the contiguous United States.
This is not the first uninvited guest in the area.
For six weeks, a massive male black bear made himself comfortable in another Altadena home not far from the most recent incident. Last week, that bear was chased out with paintball pellets, a tactic used by the BEAR League, a nonprofit based in Lake Tahoe, to run the bear out. When the bruin returned, it was met with tiny shocks from an electrified mat, which made him scurry away.
Both spokespersons from Fish and Wildlife and Pasadena Humane say it is inconclusive if this recent sighting is the same bear based on gathered footage, since a yellow tag on the bear’s ear was not clearly visible.
“It’s such a prevalent area for bear activity that this very well could be a different bear, so we can’t say that it’s the same,” says Cort Klopping, Fish and Wildlife information officer for the south coast region and inland deserts region, adding that only biologists can confirm the bear’s identity.
Bear sightings are frequent in the areas surrounding the San Gabriel Mountains. Locals and wildlife experts say the Eaton fire exacerbated the situation, driving many bears out of their natural habitat in search of food, water and shelter.
Residents living near bear communities should ensure that food and trash bins are not left out, as wild animals are highly food-motivated. Residents with a crawlspace should also secure the openings, since it is an easy entry route for bears, which can cause severe damage to a home.
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