A man in California, Ken Johnson, faced an unexpected challenge while trying to deal with a 500-pound bear nesting beneath his Altadena home. The situation escalated early Tuesday morning when a second bear casually wandered into his driveway, interrupting his efforts.
Johnson had already been dealing with the first bear, which had taken refuge in the crawl space under his kitchen. It first made its presence known when trash cans were knocked over and bricks fell around the yard. A motion-detecting camera later confirmed the identity of the culprit: a large bear sporting a yellow tag. This was not a one-time occurrence; the bear had been spotted roaming beneath his home briefly on both Saturday and Sunday nights.
“It’s scary not knowing where you are,” Johnson shared, expressing his concern about the situation.
On Monday, he reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to report the issue. A spokesperson for the department, Cort Cropping, informed him that officials had contacted Johnson following the report made by a biologist and provided him with guidance.
Cropping stated that the approximately 550-pound bear, according to agency assessments, is not deemed a threat to public safety. “There is no reason to think any additional response is necessary,” he explained. “The bear does not appear to pose a threat to the public.”
The agency advised Johnson to maintain his distance, monitor the bear using remote methods, and wait for it to leave of its own accord.
Moreover, biologists recommended that once the bear vacates the area, Johnson should seal off any entry points, install wildlife sprinklers to scare off potential return visitors, and place ammonia-soaked cloths near the entrance as a deterrent.
Cropping noted that this kind of bear behavior is fairly typical in the San Gabriel Valley, which has a climate that prevents black bears from hibernating. Essentially, the bear likely found a cozy, warm spot to settle in.
This bear had been tagged roughly 10 miles away, according to agency records. Cropping also mentioned that there’s been no noticeable change in bear activity following recent wildfires, so any connection to a fire in Altadena is purely speculative.
He advised that neighbors should also consider securing their crawl spaces to dissuade bears from making surprise visits.
