Kenneth Johnson first observed indicators of an uninvited visitor dwelling beneath his Altadena residence earlier this yr.
In April, Johnson noticed that bricks round his residence’s crawl area had been torn out, and the wood body protecting the crawl area was damaged.
After recognizing extra harm in June, he put in a digicam. Final week, the 63-year-old lastly recognized the perpetrator: a bear had moved in and made a house beneath Johnson’s abode.
“I don’t know the way it received beneath there. It have to be a contortionist,” he informed The Instances. “This factor is so large its abdomen touches the bottom.”
In response to digicam footage obtained by Johnson, the bear seems to have a yellow tag on its left ear. The bear, whose intercourse is unknown, has brown fur however the kind of species is but to be confirmed by authorities. In one video, the bear appears to wrestle to get out of the tight area, utilizing its paws to maneuver its physique out.
“It’s uncomfortable strolling into the kitchen pondering there’s a bear over there,” Johnson stated. “I don’t suppose he’s any hurt to me so long as I don’t go down the aspect of the home whereas he’s popping out.”
The bear, nonetheless, startled Johnson when it roared at him Friday morning.
“I used to be shaking like a leaf for half an hour,” he stated. Even his cat, Boo, is petrified of their downstairs neighbor, he added.
For probably the most half, the bear retains to itself and isn’t aggressive — some neighbors have seen it roam the realm earlier than, Johnson stated. The bear leaves Johnson’s residence throughout the day, presumably searching for meals, and returns at night time, based on digicam footage.
Johnson, who creates mannequin practice content material on YouTube, has had his justifiable share of wildlife sightings. On Christmas Day in 2017, he noticed a small bear cub run throughout his yard. His safety cameras as soon as captured a bobcat strolling previous a feral cat on his property. And a skunk as soon as sprayed him as he walked by the aspect of his home.
“One time my dad was within the storage, he kicked one thing in entrance of the fridge that he felt moved and he couldn’t see too properly. They known as animal management and it was an eight-foot boa constrictor,” Johnson stated. “We’re used to seeing wildlife in Altadena. But it surely’s modified due to drought and fireplace.”
In January, the Eaton fireplace scorched greater than 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena and displaced hundreds of residents and wildlife. The subsequent month, Pasadena residents discovered a 500-pound bear, nicknamed “Yogi,” dwelling beneath their residence after they had been pressured to evacuate as a result of fireplace. The bear was relocated to the Angeles Nationwide Forest, based on a Instances report.
Johnson stated he has two potential names for the bear, relying on its intercourse: Ursa or Barry. He contacted the California Division of Fish and Wildlife, however has but to listen to from them as a result of Thanksgiving vacation.
Fish and Wildlife didn’t instantly reply Sunday to a request for remark.
Johnson stated he final noticed the bear crawling round at 6 a.m. Saturday, including, “And it hasn’t left since.”
“I really feel okay with it,” he stated, “however I need him to get out.”
