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Officials are now turning to a new strategy in hopes of luring a 550-pound bear out from underneath a California home.

The brown bear has been cooped up under Altadena resident Ken Johnson’s home for more than a week in what he has jokingly referred to as a “bear-y” serious situation.


  Officials are now turning to a new strategy in hopes of luring a 550-pound bear out from underneath a California home. NBCLA Officials are now turning to a new strategy in hopes of luring a 550-pound bear out from underneath a California home. NBCLA

Johnson had attempted to get the massive animal out using jelly rolls and sweet treats, but to no avail. Now, officials from The California Department of Fish and Wildlife have intervened using sweet-scented spray to lure the bear out.


  The brown bear has been cooped up under Altadena resident Ken Johnson’s home for more than a week. AP The brown bear has been cooped up under Altadena resident Ken Johnson’s home for more than a week. AP

“This is a chemical compound that is highly concentrated and has a very potent smell of caramel and cherries and that is in an effort to coax the bear out from where it is right now” CDFW spokesman Cort Klopping told The Post.

“Caramel and cherries would be something bears are very attracted to” Klopping notes.


  Johnson had attempted to get the massive animal out using jelly rolls and sweet treats, but to no avail. NBCLA Johnson had attempted to get the massive animal out using jelly rolls and sweet treats, but to no avail. NBCLA

Remote monitoring cameras have also been placed around Johnson’s property to keep an eye on the bear to see if and when it will make an attempt to squeeze out from under the home.

Officials hope to board up the entrance to the crawl space when the bear leaves.

“The bear has not come out of the crawl space yet” says Klopping, who adds the bear is most likely spooked by all the activity and has been growling.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the bear that’s living under an Altadena man’s house

“I had to call multiple media outlets not to fly helicopters. This bear doesn’t want to be around people its going to need quiet for it to exit.”

If the bear stays Johnson could have a 550-pound roommate for the chilly season.

“He just wants to live here” says Johnson.

The public has been warned to stay away from the area.

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