By Kamryn Martell and Habeba Mostafa
A bear was spotted hanging out in a tree in the backyard of a home near Lost Canyon Road and Sand Canyon Road a few blocks from Sulphur Springs Community School on Thursday afternoon.
The bear — which is tagged and has made news before, as recently as a week ago in Pacoima — was seen napping Thursday afternoon in the tree and, after several hours, left of his own volition and was seen leaving the neighborhood via the Santa Clara River wash.
“He woke up from a nap, and he was, he hopped the tent, and then he went to the neighbors. And then he backtracked a little bit and ended up showing up at one of the houses … and then he crossed the street on Lost Canyon (Road),” said property owner Delia Andrade. “And then he went to the big ranch in the corner, and he walked himself with the Fish and Wildlife guy behind him, and they walked to the wash. And that’s where he ended up at the wash.”
The bear’s departure capped an afternoon of intrigue in the Canyon Country neighborhood.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrived on the scene at 1:30 p.m. Deputies blocked off the Lost Canyon Road entrance near the Sand Canyon Road and Lost Canyon Road intersection.
“I was kind of pulling up to the side yard, and I thought that it was a Bernese mountain dog sniffing some tires on a car that was parked kind of on the side. And then I saw it had an orange collar, only adding to me thinking it was a dog. It turns around, and I noticed it was a bear, and I started honking my horn to scare it away from where our goats and our horses are,” said Markus Andrade, son of Delia.
Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control personnel were also on the scene.
“We have received several reports today and are communicating with CDFW (Law Enforcement Division) and local Animal Control. We have a biologist on-site already to assess and advise interagency staff,” according to an email sent by Cort Klopping, spokesman for Fish and Wildlife.
He added that the biologists on the scene were exploring two options to help the bear – “shepherd” or encourage the bear back to its habitat or capture it and release the bear into its habitat.
Klopping said the biggest concern for the bear was if he were to get startled, he might try to run and could put himself in danger due to a busy freeway nearby.
Fish and Wildlife responded to the same bear in a tree near Pacoima on May 7.
“Wildlife staff identified him as a 4–5-year-old male weighing about 275 pounds. He was fitted with a tracking collar and ear tag (Orange-2092) to help monitor his movements. After evaluation, the bear was released into suitable habitat within the Angeles National Forest,” according to a post on the Fish and Wildlife social media account.
Rachael Ostrom Sachar, owner of Twin Oaks Equine Veterinary Services, was also on the scene to provide assistance. “I’m concerned about the schools and the kids’ safety, and so we were trying to keep the bear away from kids and away from traffic at this point, and so when he went back up in this tree, we’ve just been trying to monitor him.”
Signal Staff Writer Habeba Mostafa contributed to this report.
