Wayward Black Bear Ventures Into Residential Neighborhood, Cools Off In Pool [Videos]

A black bear spotted roaming in the residential part of Granada Hills, Los Angeles, was tranquilized and captured Tuesday afternoon.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Captain Steve Lurie told KTLA 5 News that police units responded after receiving a radio call at the Devonshire Station about a bear in front of a home close to noon Tuesday. About five units were dispatched to follow the bear, he added.

Police also informed the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, from where wardens were sent to handle the situation. LAPD Devonshire officers tweeted asking the residents to stay indoors during the operation.

A resident told Fox 9, “I hope they’re taking all the steps to make sure the bear is safe. I think it’s scary but he was in the neighborhood." Fox 9 reported that the same bear was spotted by the residents a few times this week.

A local resident said, "Most of the time they don’t harm people … they can be very unpredictable,” while another added, “For the past five days or so the bear has been coming down the mountainside ... knocking over food … trash cans ... doing whatever it wants.”

According to Fox 9, the bear was around 3 to 5 years old and was believed to weigh between 250 to 300 pounds. A video, captured by a CBS2 chopper, showed the animal lounging under a tree near 13000 block of Whistler Avenue. The bear had a red wildlife tag with the number “493” on its ear, which meant this was not the first time it had come out of its natural habitat and made its way into residential areas.

In 2016, the same bear was tranquilized and captured near the Sylmar area. It was later released into the wild.

On Tuesday, the bear made its way into the pool of a home Granada Hills, took a dip and paddled around for a while.

“At different times, the bear went to a neighbor’s swimming pool to cool off and splash around,” LAPD Captain Steve Lurie told KTLA 5 News. The temperature at Granada Hills was around 85 degrees Tuesday afternoon.

Journalists from several media outlets followed the bear as it moved onto another backyard, a front yard, and across several driveways, before finally disappearing for a while, reported Los Angeles Times.

Police personnel finally tracked the bear near a neighborhood drainage culvert in the afternoon and fired a tranquilizer dart. The bear walked around for a while in the neighborhood before falling asleep in the bushes.

The officials approached the animal and moved it to a truck. The bear will be taken to the Angeles National Forest and released, Lurie said.

“Bottom line is, if you see wildlife in your neighborhood, in your yard, call 911," Lurie added. He appealed to people to never approach the animals, and to let professionals from the Department of Fish and Wildlife take care of it.

"It’s tempting to want to take pictures…get close… it’s not something you see everyday… its adorable… but if it gets spooked or scared can act very unpredictably,” Lurie said.

"This bear has been in the area before. It knows, kind of, the drill," Max Magleby, a wildlife officer told ABC 7. "As long as people aren't getting in its way and not messing with it, it's going to stay fairly calm."