The bear that was hanging out in a tree on Thursday and running through the streets of Canyon Country on Friday was spotted again on Monday — this time, continuing his tour of the Santa Clarita Valley on the other side of town.
The bear was seen just before 5 a.m. on Monday on the 25800 block of The Old Road near the Vons supermarket, according to officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
The bear is being closely monitored, said Cort Klopping, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Klopping added that Fish and Wildlife biologists have been able to track the bear using two different types of devices – Global Positioning System, or GPS, and Very High Frequency, or VHF.
The VHF tracking system uses radio waves, while the GPS system uses movement data, Klopping said.
Klopping added that since the bear has been considered a “no-harm-no-foul” bear, Fish and Wildlife biologists have been assessing further action as of the publication of this story. He said that the bear has been slowly moving back to its natural habitat and that the bear is close to its home range habitat.
He also said that the bear has been going through a wildland/urban interface, meaning an area where human development meets undeveloped wild and vegetation.
A delivery driver called deputies about the bear being near the building, Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the station, said during a phone interview Monday.
Miller added that the delivery driver was having difficulty getting into his semi-truck due to the bear being close to it.
She said that when deputies arrived on the scene, they were unable to locate the bear.
Deputies called Fish and Wildlife to notify them of the bear’s location.
Klopping said that if people see any animal and would like to report it, filling out a Wildlife Incident Report is the best way to alert Fish and Wildlife.
To fill out a form, visit apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.
