A bear climbed a tree early Monday in a Pasadena neighborhood and remained in the branches well into the afternoon before it was tranquilized.
The bear was found in the 1100 block of North Los Robles Avenue Monday morning. Authorities said the adult bear remained in the tree for about 11 hours during a windy afternoon in Southern California.
The bear was shot with a tranquilizer and eventually fell out of the tree, according to police. The bear, who did not appear to be injured in the fall, was taken into the protective care of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the scene was cleared at about 6:20 p.m.
Black bears, which can have different color coats, like to feed on plants, insects, nuts, berries and whatever else they think of as edible -- such as the contents of trash bins. If food is scarce in their natural habitat, bears are likely to forage elsewhere, bringing them into Southern California foothill neighborhoods.
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California's black bear species population has been on the rise over the last two decades, growing from an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 in the early 1980s to between 25,000 and 30,000 -- and that's a conservative estimate, according to the state department of fish and wildlife.
Black bears, recognized by their small, narrow heads and small ears, have coats that range in color from tan or brown to black. Females grow up to about 200 pounds and males can be a hefty 350 pounds with some giants weighing in at more than 600 pounds.
About half of the state's bear population can be found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and areas to the north and west. Only an estimated 10 percent of the black bear population inhabits central western and southwestern California.
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Although its on the state flag, the fearsome grizzly bear no longer can be found in the California wild. The last grizzly bear observed in California was shot in the early 1920s.
