ALTADENA — A bear and her two cubs who made headlines in May as they napped on an Altadena tree returned to the foothill city Saturday, this time taking a dip in a hot tub before scampering out of sight, authorities said.

The mother bear and cubs were spotted about 3:30 p.m. on a 4-acre property in the 1400 block of Edgecliff Lane — the same neighborhood in which they attracted a cadre of media cameras during their previous visit May 3, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials.

By the time deputies arrived, the bears had wandered off and could not be found, officials said.

Bear visits to foothill cities becoming more common during summer and fall, when there is little rainfall, officials said.

“It is always wise to give a bear as much room as you possibly can,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.

If the bear populations continue increasing, officials added, incidents of bears coming into neighborhoods to eat from fruit trees and drink from swimming pools and spas will likely become more frequent.

Black bears were first introduced into the San Gabriel Mountains in 1933.

“They are all descendants of 11 bears deported from Yosemite National Park for being troublemakers,” according to the statement.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department