Large black bear lured out from under Altadena home with rotisserie chicken, peanut butter, other treats

A 525-pound black bear caused quite a stir in Altadena after it was found in the crawl space under a home that had been evacuated for the Eaton Fire, officials said.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife made the announcement in a social media post Thursday. Officials said the massive bear — which neighbors nicknamed Barry — spooked a SoCal Gas crew who stopped by for repairs. They then lured him into a trap in the neighbor’s driveway with rotisserie chicken, apples, butterscotch and peanut butter.

Kevin Howells, a wildlife biologist with the department, told LAist the bear quickly took the bait and was moved to an undisclosed area in the Angeles National Forest.

“ We choose locations that have resources like natural food and water on the landscape,” he said. “He's up there just being a bear.”

How it happened

The bear, which neighbors nicknamed Barry.

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Terry Han Proffitt

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LAist

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The homeowner found and flagged the bear for wildlife officials before the Eaton Fire broke out, which then complicated the process “exponentially,” he said.

But the bear’s adventure was foiled by SoCal Gas crews who ran into him while they were trying to work on a line.

“They had just said that as long as the bear was there, they were not going to send technicians there to turn it back [on],” Howells said.

The department came up with a plan to trap and relocate the bear in order to get the utilities up and running and the owner back in.

Wildlife officials realized they wouldn’t be able to physically move the bear out of the crawl space because of the small opening — so they turned to treats instead.

" I got some apples and peanut butter, some rotisserie chicken, you know, anything that just has some good scent to it,” Howells said.

The bear must have been hungry because he was trapped within minutes.

They found a suitable, but secret, location in the Angeles National Forest and let him run free. He’s also been equipped with a GPS collar so officials can keep track of him.

The bear in the crawl space.

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California Department of Fish and Wildlife

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How to share your space with wildlife

Officials heard that some residents were regularly feeding the bear, which Howells can’t discourage enough.

Never put out any food or water for wildlife, which is illegal in California, Howells said.

“It only, you know, habituates them or gives the lack of natural fear to people and incentivizes them to be in urban areas where, you know, the risk of human wildlife conflict increases,” he said.

Wildlife don’t need to rely on humans for those resources, and black bears’ behavior can change quickly if they’re being fed by humans.

If you do have crawl spaces or basements, make sure to keep those closed up. The safe, quiet, dark spaces can and will attract wildlife.

If you do run into a black bear, don’t panic. They’re food motivated, but not naturally aggressive toward people. Do not run. Back away slowly while making yourself look as large as possible, waving your arms in the air and making noise.

“It's just so crucial for long term coexistence that folks do not feed wildlife,” Howells said. “And I truly believe that is the most important message here.”

More resources:

• How to handle a bear in your backyard
• Wildlife coexistence resources from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Imperfect Paradise: Lions, Coyotes, & Bears: Part 3 Redux - The Bear Nuisance