A hefty 550lb black bear has laid claim to the crawl space under an Altadena home, marking the latest in a series of bear incursions into the Los Angeles community.
On 25 November, homeowner Ken Johnson noticed the bear leaving the crawl space and later contacted California’s department of fish and wildlife for assistance removing it from below his home. Despite sweet-scented lures and ammonia-towels, the bear has remained in place for more than two weeks.
“He’s a nuisance and he’s living under my house rent-free,” Johnson told the Orange County Register. “We call him … unbearable, but he’s so cute. Once he gets out, we’ll call him bearable, but for now it’s unbearable.”
After the Eaton wildfire tore through the Angeles national forest and scorched parts of Altadena in January, wildlife – including several bears – sought shelter in the community. In the weeks following the fire, at least two 500-plus-pound black bears sought refuge in homes evacuated during the wildfire.
Ken Johnson stands outside his house on 1 December, with trash scattered across the driveway, after a bear took refuge in his crawl space in Altadena, California. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP
The bear occupying Johnson’s crawl space, which is tagged number 2120 by the California department of fish and wildlife, had previously taken up residence in an Altadena home, said Cort Klopping, a fish and wildlife spokesperson, though officials were able to eventually relocate him to a site about 10 miles (16km) away. It’s unclear whether 2120 was one of the two bears seen in the weeks after the fire.
This time around, however, fish and wildlife biologists have struggled to lure bear 2120 out of its hiding place below Johnson’s home. Biologists have set up a camera for remote monitoring, and set out “lure”, a concentrated chemical compound that gives off the potent aroma of caramel and cherries, to try to draw the bear out, Klopping said. They’re hoping to lure the bear to a cart, via which he can be transported to a safe location.
Black bears – the only species of bear living in California – are largely non-confrontational, having killed only one person in the state in recorded history. The population is estimated to be between 49,000 and 71,000, with 50% living in the north coast and Cascade regions, and 40% in the Sierra Nevada.
But there are thriving communities in other areas, including in Los Angeles county. Reports of bear sightings are increasingly common in LA’s foothill communities.
Nonetheless, Johnson says, having a bear living below his feet has proved stressful. A 63-year-old photographer and graphic designer, Johnson told local outlets that he’s heard growls during the night and worries the bear could be causing unseen damage.
