Fridge-Raiding Bear-And-Cub Duo Can't Get Enough Of LA County Woman's Kitchen

MONROVIA, CA — A Monrovia woman has been plagued by unwanted visitors this month — a suspected mother bear and her cub who have broken into the woman's house three times to raid her fridge.

On one evening earlier this month, the woman returned to her home on Norumbega Drive — a neighborhood located in the far northern reaches of the city, right up against the San Gabriel Mountains.

There she found evidence of intruders: A broken window, an open refrigerator door and a mess inside. And if that weren't enough trouble, a nearly identical scene has played out two other times this month — despite the fact that the resident boarded up the broken window, Monrovia Police Department Sgt. Luis Villalobos told Patch.

"It looks like the mother bear is peeling off the boards," he said. "The cub can get in there, because it's a smaller space. Once inside, the bear makes its way into the kitchen and takes food."

Neither authorities, nor the woman, have caught the bears in the act, though the resident suspects the culprits may be a mother-cub duo that she's spotted nearby after a break-in.

Villalobos, who responded to the second call, said he offered tips to the resident to better fortify the broken window against bears. But despite her best efforts, the bears have persisted.

Monrovians are no strangers to the unique challenges that come from coexisting with their ursine neighbors.

In fact, the likeness of one "particularly bold" 500-pound California black bear is visible across town in the form of statues honoring Samson the Bear. A frequent sight near fruit trees and other sources of food in the 1990s, Samson earned a reputation for his love of taking dips in backyard hot tubs.

Last year, one resident found himself in a similar situation when he spotted an adult bear and two cubs enjoying a backyard pool — and posted plenty of pictures as proof.

In another recent series of encounters, a bear was spotted leaving a Monrovia home with a package of Oreos in its month. That was right around the time that a bear — which may or may not have been the same one — broke into a car to steal groceries, including Oreos.

There are estimated to be roughly 30,000 bears in California, according to the U.S. Forest Service. They are all black bears, although the species can have fur that is blonde, brown or black.

The bears typically avoid confrontation with humans, but, if given access to human food or garbage, they can lose caution, cause damage and become a threat, so it is important never to feed a bear, the agency said.