This article was posted by Donna Evans. It was written and reported by City News Service.
Reports of bear sightings in Southland communities near forests are on the rise, and a wildlife official said in remarks published Thursday that food waste and fruit trees are to blame for luring the foragers.
"The smells are what bring them there. It's all about the food,"Department of Fish and Wildlife Spokesman Andrew Hughan told the Los Angeles Times.
Fruit trees, especially avocados, also draw bears and should be picked as soon and often as possible, Hughan told The Times.
Last week, a bear wandered into a neighborhood in La Canada, prompting authorities to put Paradise Canyon Elementary School and St. Francis High School on lockdown. A deputy darted the 125-pound female bear with a tranquilizer near Crown Avenue and Baptiste Way and it was later returned to the wild, sheriff's officials said.
On Wednesday, a woman in Duarte called 911 just before 2 p.m. to say that a young bear was sitting on the kitchen counter of her Crestview Court home. Authorities found the bear munching away when they arrived. They left the door open, made noises, and the bear ran out into the surrounding forest area, said Sgt. Rich Pena of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
Earlier in the day, another young bear was captured in Sunland. It wandered around in a residential neighborhood for more than an hour before being tranquilized by California Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel. The animal was taken into custody about 7:30 a.m. near Stonehurst and Clybourn avenues, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. No injuries were reported.
The bear who came to Sunland appeared to be a serial neighborhood forager; fish and game personnel tagged one of his ears after he was caught in Santa Clarita, state wildlife officials said.
The most famous of the Southland's wayward bears is probably the 500- pounder nicknamed Meatball because he was once spotted raiding a garage freezer for Costco meatballs. The adult California black bear, also known as Glen Bearian because Glendale became one of the Los Angeles County foothill communities where he liked to forage, was captured in August after repeated forays into residential neighborhoods. He was eventually relocated to a San Diego County wildlife sanctuary.
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