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Brief Bear Visit Caught on Home Video in Line With Recent Foothill Sightings
Homeowner's camera captures bear walking in Linda Vista driveway
Antonio Castelan
A 3-year-old bear was caught on surveillance video lumbering across a front yard in Pasadena Tuesday night. Six different bears have been spotted over the last few days and Fish and Game officials have been busy trying to get them back to the hills. Antonio Castelan reports from Pasadena for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on July 11, 2012.
A fuzzy early morning visitor was captured on surveillance video in the driveway of a Linda Vista home.
Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, a bear walked right in front of Richard Fisler's surveillance camera. Video of the brief visit was posted on the San Gabriel Valley News' YouTube account.
Fisler, who lives in the 1000 block of Linda Glen Drive (map), not far from the Rose Bowl, said he was prompted to check his surveillance camera after he read about recent bear sightings and his trash appeared tampered with.
He said he believes the same bear was around his home on Friday night. California Department of Fish and Game confirmed it was a 300-pound black bear.
"When he came near the front door, I thought, it wouldn't take much for him to push my front door open," Fisler said.
The sighting lines up with a recent spike in suburban bear encounters believed to be linked to this week's heat wave.
A bear in Bradbury stayed in a tree for hours Monday, and another 1-year-old male bear cub was tranquilized after it was scene in the Duarte area Tuesday.
Fish and Game spokesman Andrew Hughan noted the incidents' near coincidence, but said there's no epidemic and no uptick in the bear population. No bear maulings have occurred on record in California, he said.
"Three to 4 miles away is not unusual for a bear to smell a nice, tasty trash can," Hughan said.
He had advice for homeowners and foothills residents who encounter local black bears.
"Just let it be. Don't try to capture it, don't try to be its friend. It's not Winnie the Pooh," Hughan said.
"You want to fight back. You want to do everything you can to protect yourself," Hughan added. "Punch it in the nose and yell at it and stand your ground. Don't run away, because then you're just food."
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