Bear Moves Into Crawlspace, Others Open Doors As Bear Break-Ins Spike

LOS ANGELES, CA — A couple in Sierra Madre recently discovered a bear squatting in their crawl space, but it could be worse. The bear hasn't figured out how to open doors like some of the other bears venturing down from the San Gabriel Mountains, according to city officials.

The bear, dubbed 'Junior' by his unwitting roommates Bob and Susan Nesler, appears to be a large, older black bear seen on a wildlife camera lumbering along North Sunnyside Avenue, NBC Los Angeles reported.

"He comes in, apparently, around 5, 5:30 in the morning and leaves late at night," Susan Nesler told NBC. "He hasn’t caused any problems for us, other than we need to get him to leave, for safety's sake."

State wildlife authorities headed to Sierra Madre Monday to wait for Junior to head out so they can help the Neslers figure out how to bear-proof crawl space.

Junior is just the latest in a parade of bold black bears increasingly making themselves at home in the bustling San Gabriel foothills.

According to the Los Angeles Times, bear encounters in Sierra Madre jumped from 100 sightings and no break-ins in 2020 to 380 sightings and 50 break-ins last year.

And some of those break-ins were committed by bears who have mastered doornobs and car door handles.

“This is a new phenomenon,” Sierra Madre City Atty. Aleks Giragosian told the Los Angeles Times. “Something interesting happened in the past two years. And like Jurassic Park, the bears have learned how to open doors. I don’t know how they learned it. I don’t know how they’re teaching each other, but they’re opening car doors, too.”

In August, a man in Claremont came face to face with a bear in his kitchen when he went to check on the cookies he was baking.

Black bears are the only species in California, and there are an estimated 25,000-30,000 in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

When bears and humans mix, it can be deadly for both, though attacks on humans are exceedingly rare. In June, a black bear broke into a woman's home in Northern California, dragged her from her bed and mauled her to death. In 2016, a man was attacked by a blear bear in the Angeles National Forest when he inadvertently came between a bear and her cub.

This summer, California Department of Fish and Wildlife eauthanized a tagged bear known as Bear 162, after she broke into eight homes and countless trashcans in La Cañada-Flintridge, Pasadena and Altadena, LAist reported. Bear 162 had been repeatedly relocated to the forest only to find herself drawn to the siren song of poorly secured trashcans in foothill neighborhoods every time.

“The decision to euthanize the bear was made by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to protect the public, due to the history of this bear being involved in conflicts with people, and the escalating and potentially dangerous home entry activity,” the agency told LAist.

Another notably nomadic bear has been stubbornly drawn to populous neighborood from Claremont to Malibu, Chatsworth and Sylmar.

The collared bear dubbed Yellow 2291 has proven to be something of a marvel to the state wildlife officials studying her. She wanders great distances, seems to cross freeways, and has a predilection for civilization. In July, the 3 to 5-year-old female bear had to be shot out of a tree with a tranquilizer dart near a busy Chatsworth industrial park.

The bears' acclimation to communities across Los Angeles County is troubling.

"If black bears are given access to human food and garbage, they rapidly become addicted," the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service warns. "They lose caution and respect. They cause property damage. They might threaten human safety. They might be killed."

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers these tips for coexisting safely with bears:

Stash Your Food and Trash

• Use bear-proof containers(opens in new tab) to secure trash, recycling, and compost.
• Pick ripe fruit off trees, and promptly collect fruit that falls off trees.
• Keep doors and windows closed and locked when unoccupied.
• Clean BBQ grills after each use and store in a secure shed or garage when not in use.
• Remove unsecured trash, food, and strongly scented items (e.g., sunscreen) from vehicles and yard.

Prevent Potential Conflict

• Bring pets inside at night.
• Keep livestock in secure pens at night. Install electric fencing around chicken coops and enclosures.
• Eliminate access to potential den sites (e.g., crawl spaces under decks).
• Install motion-activated lights, noise makers, or alarms.
• Install electric mats (‘unwelcome mats’).
• Use sensory deterrent to deter potential access to attractants (e.g., place ammonia in shallow bowl).
• Remove bird feeders from yard.

See Also:

• Black Bear Killed Woman In CA's 1st Known Fatal Attack
• Black Bear Visits SoCal Kitchen, Pool
• Bear Takes A Dip In SoCal Pool With Cubs In Tow
• Black Bear Roams Leo Carrillo State Beach In Malibu
• 300-Pound Bear Caught Walking Into Sierra Madre Home
• Black Bear Likely First To Make Santa Monica Mountains Home In Decades
• Resident Coyote Pack Rattles Westside Neighborhood
• Bear Startles Late Night Cookie Baker In Kitchen Of LA County Home