Category Archives: bear

Bears wander into Monrovia home

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MONROVIA — A Monrovia man and his dog got a closer-than-comfortable encounter Wednesday with two bears, at least one of which ransacked his home, authorities said.
The uninvited guests showed up just before 6 p.m. at a home in the 800 block of Crescent Drive, at the far north edge of town on the edge of the Angeles National Forest, Monrovia police Sgt. Dan Verna said.
The resident called police, “and said there was a bear inside his downstairs living room,” Verna said. “The resident was in his upstairs bedroom with his dog.”
“He also said there was a second bear in his backyard,” the sergeant said.
The foraging intruders reportedly ransacked the man’s home before they exited the house of their own accord.
As officers were en route, “He called back immediately and said the bears were both outside and leaving the area,” Verna said.
“The officers utilized a non-lethal bean bag round effectively to frighten the bears back up the mountain,” Lt. Nells Ortlund said.
The bears apparently got into the home through a doggie door, police said.

UPDATE: Wandering bear prompts brief closure of 210 Freeway

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Authorities tranquilized and transported a 300-pound bear Sunday morning after it wandered through La Crescenta and Montrose, prompting a brief closure on the 210 Freeway as it meandered across.
The animal was first spotted shortly after 7 a.m. on Henrietta Avenue in La Crescenta, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Angela Shepherd said.
“A resident said the bear had climbed a yard fence and knocked it over,” the lieutenant said in a written statement.
Deputies and California Department of Fish and Game officials responded and kept an eye on the bear as it slowly made it’s way south over the course of several hours.
“The bear walked through residential areas, sat in front of a nail salon on Foothill Blvd., walked the track at Crescenta Valley High School and walked up the La Crescenta onramp onto the 210 Freeway, causing its temporary closure,” Shepherd said. The closure lasted about 10 minutes.
Area residents were advised via “reverse 911″ phone calls about 8:40 a.m. to stay indoors and keep their pets inside, officials said.
Fish and game officials used three tranquilizer darts to subdue the bear, which was described as thin, about 10:15 a.m. at Sunset and Hermosa avenues, according to sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker.
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The bear was fitted with a tag and loaded into a truck to be taken back into the Angeles National Forest, officials said. It had not been tagged previously.
Another bear was struck by a car while crossing the 210 Freeway about two and a half miles to the east near Crown Avenue in La Canada Flintridge Aug. 26, and ultimately had to be euthanized due to its injuries.
In that incident, the officials also had to shut down the freeway briefly as they tranquilized and captured the animal.
PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

UPDATED: Bear euthanized after being struck by car on 210 Freeway in La Canada Flintridge

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The California Highway Patrol closed a portion of the 210 Freeway in La Canada Flintridge for about 15 minutes Sunday afternoon while authorities captured, and ultimately euthanized, an injured bear alongside the route.
Someone called the Sheriff’s Department’s early Sunday morning to report that a bear had been hit by a car in the area near Foothill Boulevard and Crown Avenue, but the bear was gone by the time deputies arrived, said Sgt. Cynthia Gonzales, watch commander at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station.
At 1:09 p.m. the station got another call from a witness who saw a bear, who appeared to be hurt, sitting underneath a tree behind the Starbucks near Foothill Boulevard and Gould Avenue.
The California Department of Fish and Game and Sheriff’s Department responded. The bear was in the bushes next to the Foothill Freeway, so the CHP closed the freeway for about 15 minutes around 3 p.m. while Fish and Game officials tranquilized the bear, Gonzales said.
The bear, who was about 150-200 pounds, was hit by the tranquilizer, ran up a tree, fell asleep and dropped out of the tree, Gonzales said. 
Officials examined the animal and determined it was necessary to euthanize it, according to the CHP.
The bear was smaller than the roughly 400-pound bear nicknamed “Meatball” who was spotted around town digging in peoples’ garbage cans and was twice taken back to the forest by state wildlife officials.
- Staff report

Monrovia plans action — against bears

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This is planned for tomorrow’s newspaper:

Monrovia Police Chief Roger Johnson is recommending thecity step up its regulations to deter residents from attracting bears and other wildlife into residential neighborhoods. Bear incursions into residential areas have been on the rise and a staff report with
several proposals, including fines for residents who don’t secure their trash, will be presented to the council during its regular meeting tomorrow.