A 550-pound black bear somehow taken up residence beneath Ken Johnson’s home in Altadena, California. This opposite world never would have imposed a surprise on you, right? This uninvited visitor was looking for shelter after the Eaton wildfire, as over 50,000 residents were ordered to evacuate their residences. Wildlife officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife later tagged the bear as 2120. Even with several attempts to lure it out, the bear has remained in the crawl space for over two weeks.
We have to recognize that the bear’s presence is not a one-time occurrence. Two other large black bears, each more than 500 pounds, have taken shelter in the neighboring mandatorily evacuated houses. As the fires continue, wildlife like these big bears are more frequently entering human habitats.
On November 25, Ken Johnson witnessed the black bear first coming out of the crawl space. He immediately contacted wildlife officials for assistance. It’s not only the bear’s cuddliness that concerns him. He’s less worried about whether the bear will eat him than about what the bear can do to his property while passing through.
“He’s a nuisance and he’s living under my house rent-free.” – Ken Johnson
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) responded by launching a campaign to eliminate the bear. They tried sweet-scented lures and ammonia towels, but their efforts were ineffectual. Black bears do not want to interact with you and will typically try to avoid you altogether. They start to become an annoyance when they accidentally enter human dwellings. In Los Angeles’ foothill communities, reports of close encounters with black bears are more frequent than ever.
The black bear’s unexpected visit sheds light on a bigger problem, the forced relocation of wildlife after natural disasters. California’s black bear population is estimated at between 49,000 and 71,000. Nearly half of these bears reside in the areas north coast and Cascade ranges. Approximately 40% of these bears live in the Sierra Nevada. With urban sprawl and wildfire activity on the rise, bears are entering home developments more often.
After two weeks of twiddling thumbs, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife finally moved into action. They were able to move the black bear more than 10 miles away from Johnson’s home. Even with this resolution, the experience of dealing with OEM served to deepen Johnson’s trauma.
“We call him … unbearable, but he’s so cute. Once he gets out, we’ll call him bearable, but for now it’s unbearable.” – Ken Johnson