Meatball-Loving Bear Tranquilized in La Crescenta

A bear that has become accustomed to scouring neighborhoods in Glendale had to be tranquilized on Sunday

By Jason Kandel

| Sunday, Jul 15, 2012 | Updated 7:02 PM PDT

"Glen Bearian" Tranquilized in La Crescenta

A bear, known as "Glen Bearian" and "Meatball," was tranquilized and sent back into the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, July 15, 2012 after being seen in a Glendale neighborhood.

A bear seen in Glendale and La Crescenta and whose forays into suburbia have sparked a following on Twitter was tranquilized on Sunday and is being sent back to the wild, California Fish and Game officials said.

The bear, which has been given the nickname "Glen Bearian" and "Meatball" by Twitter users, has been seen scouring through trash cans in the foothill neighborhoods of Glendale and La Crescenta since April, with the most sightings occurring just before trash pickup day, police said.

The 400-pound animal was most recently spotted snoozing in a tree in the 3000 block of Foothill Boulevard in Glendale noon on Sunday when he was tranquilized.

"@TheGlendaleBear is safe and sound asleep in a DFG truck, on his way back to forest," Fish and Game Tweeted after noon Sunday.

He got his "Meatball" nickname from the time he was found snacking on leftover Italian food in La Crescenta last April, had to be tranquilizered and moved back into the mountains.