A California man’s sugary scheme to smoke out a 500-pound bear from beneath his Altadena home went sideways fast, thanks to an unexpected second bruin crashing the operation.
Ken Johnson, a product photographer, was already battling the first bear holed up in the crawl space under his kitchen when another lumbering visitor strolled up his driveway around 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to Eyewitness News.
The homeowner Ken Johnson says he heard a huge growl coming from the crawl space of his house. NBCLAJohnson first suspected trouble when trash cans were toppled and bricks were knocked loose around his property. Motion-sensing cameras revealed the truth, a hulking, yellow-tagged bear rumbling around beneath his floorboards. It popped out briefly Saturday and again Sunday night for about 20 minutes.
“It’s scary when I don’t know where it is,” Johnson told The Post.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the bear that’s living under an Altadena man’s house
- Man living with giant bear under his home threatens to sue officials — ‘They should deal with it’
- A 550-pound bear has been living under my house — and it doesn’t want to leave
- Calif. bear trap catches wrong beast as man endures 550-pound creature living under his house
- Officials try bizarre ways to lure 550-pound bear from underneath Calif. home
He contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, filing an online report Monday. CDFW spokesman Cort Klopping confirmed the agency “made contact with the homeowner based on the report he gave our biologist” and has been advising him since.
Massive bear squats under Altadena, California man’s home. NBCLAKlopping told The Post the animal, estimated at 550 pounds from agency data, isn’t considered a public threat.
“There’s no reason to believe additional response is needed,” he said. “It doesn’t appear the bear is posing a threat to the public.”
CDFW has urged Johnson to keep his distance, monitor the bear remotely, and wait until it leaves on its own.
The homeowner Ken Johnson says he heard a huge growl coming from the crawl space of his house. NBCLA
Ken Johnson, a homeowner, is interviewed at night in front of his house. NBCLABiologist told Johnson to secure the access point in a substantial way once the bear exits, set up motion-detecting wildlife sprinklers to scare it off if it tries to return, and place ammonia-soaked rags near the entry to deter it.
Klopping said the bear’s behavior is typical for the San Gabriel Valley, where the temperate climate means black bears rarely hibernate. What Johnson’s bear likely did, he said, was “find a den, a warm place where it’s comfortable.”
Agency records show the bear was previously tagged about 10 miles away. CDFW’s data shows “no difference in activity before the recent wildfires and now,” and Klopping said any tie to the Altadena blaze is speculation.
He added that neighbors in the area should also lock down their crawl spaces to prevent unwanted visitors.
