Hungry Bear Keeps Police Busy Saturday

Gayle M. Montgomery August 11, 2012 at 04:05 pm

It would seem to me that as the fallout to the fires and the result of the drought, these bears are all just hungry, and they are hungry enough to not be afraid of us. I have mixed feelings on this. Is there a humane way to leave or create food sources in the forest so they would not be compelled to come down? I know we are not supposed to mess with the ecosphere, but it just seems humane. By the same token, you do not want to develop a codependent bear that coukd not forge for itself. Could something be farmed in the mountains in sporadic spots that could turn into enough food to sustain them? Something has to give. Them coming down pits them in jeopardy. It also bears noting, pardon the pun, that they are immigrants to the area and not indigenous.

Anne Margaret Kee August 11, 2012 at 04:59 pm

On Thursday nite a bear tried to come into my kitchen here in Monrovia. It was about midnight. I was up and the dogs and I scared it away. The screen door did not fare too well. I guess he wanted to get a jump on the Friday morning trash pick up. With these hot days its been nice to leave windows open at nite until now.

genevieve August 11, 2012 at 05:00 pm

I would volunteer to collect leftovers from all the local restaurants, even scraps from patron's plates and dump them in large garbage cans. Where would you dump them? I suppose anywhere in the foothills. If it is done even twice a week would this be a bad idea???

Gayle M. Montgomery August 11, 2012 at 05:10 pm

If it could be done, it cannot be done so frequently that they become dependent upon it and forget how to forage. It also couldn't be a hodge podge of just any food but rather foods they would normally eat that would keep them healthy. While eating out of garbage cans I am sure is not healthy for them, there would be the question of transfer of diseases. Thank you, Genevieve. I am sure the rangers would have to be involved if something coukd be done. Gleaners coukd harvest avocados on neighborhood trees that are going to waste and an inducement to bears, and maybe they could be left, but what are the consequences. I want to see them helped but not harmed by helping.

JanT August 12, 2012 at 12:51 pm

Yes, I'd like a more humane way, too, but like Gayle says, careful that they don't become dependent on us. They are still wild and can be very destructive to humans!
There was one walking the cliff behind my house in Sierra Madre, on Friday about noon. They're becoming quite bold. We just need to be very careful and aware!!! One idea I saw posted... freeze any edible trash and don't put it out until the morning of your trash pickup. Good idea? Pass it along to your neighbors.

Ellen Zunino August 12, 2012 at 06:27 pm

There aren't many naive hungry bears wandering down into the foothill communities from the high country in search of food. The bears we see are bears that know from past experience that there's a supply of food in and around our homes. A decade ago a former neighbor regularly put out "leftovers" so she could take pictures of the bears. Our neighborhood became infested with them. They'd come walking through our yards at all times of the day and night. They terrified new residents (sadistic fun for us "old timers") and made trash-day morning a gamble. Once a neighborhood controls the availability of food/garbage, bear sightings drop off. Bears are expert food-finders and rarely starve - even in the ANF.
Anne - Multiple residents have reported kitchen break-ins. I know what you mean about open windows. There's nothing like laying in bed at night and hearing a bear scuffing and snuffling at a window. At least, I hope it's a bear I'm hearing:-)

Gayle M. Montgomery August 12, 2012 at 10:05 pm

Ellen, I can remember my daughter hollering on more than one occasion when she was a little girl and we lived in Alhambra, and there was a possum staring at her through the window screen. I can only imagine how much more terrified we would all be if it were bears.