A wandering black bear startled morning commuters at a Santa Clarita condominium complex Monday as it roamed the suburban area for hours before state Fish and Wildlife officials tranquilized and moved it, authorities said.
"He's down for a nap," Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Nagler told NBC4. "A couple of tranquilizer darts and (Fish and Wildlife officers) are moving him to happier grounds."
The first sighting was at about 6 a.m. near a condominium community. Officials tracked the bear to a neighborhood near the 27000 block of Silver Oak Lane in Canyon Country (map), just north of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway.
Officials shot the bear with a tranquilizer gun, and the bear went down about 10:15 a.m., Nagler said.
It isn't uncommon for bears and other wildlife to roam into suburbs that border wilderness areas. Green lawns, food-stuffed trash cans, and swimming pools begin to look inviting to creatures roaming dry, barren hillsides.
"They'll get tired of eating the brush and whatever little insects they can scrub up, so they'll start moving down toward the neighborhoods where they know there are trash cans," Nagler said. "This one found an area he thought would be good for breakfast."
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