Kenneth Johnson first observed indicators of an uninvited visitor dwelling underneath his Altadena dwelling earlier this yr.
In April, Johnson noticed that bricks round his dwelling’s crawl area had been torn out, and the wood body masking the crawl area was damaged.
After recognizing extra injury in June, he put in a digicam. Final week, the 63-year-old lastly recognized the offender: a bear had moved in and made a house beneath Johnson’s abode.
“I don’t know the way it bought underneath there. It should be a contortionist,” he instructed The Instances. “This factor is so large its abdomen touches the bottom.”
In keeping with digicam footage obtained by Johnson, the bear seems to have a yellow tag on its left ear. The bear, whose intercourse is unknown, has brown fur however the kind of species is but to be confirmed by authorities. In one video, the bear appears to battle to get out of the tight area, utilizing its paws to maneuver its physique out.
“It’s uncomfortable strolling into the kitchen considering there’s a bear over there,” Johnson stated. “I don’t suppose he’s any hurt to me so long as I don’t go down the aspect of the home whereas he’s popping out.”
The bear, nonetheless, startled Johnson when it roared at him Friday morning.
“I used to be shaking like a leaf for half an hour,” he stated. Even his cat, Boo, is fearful of their downstairs neighbor, he added.
For probably the most half, the bear retains to itself and isn’t aggressive — some neighbors have seen it roam the world earlier than, Johnson stated. The bear leaves Johnson’s dwelling throughout the day, probably looking for meals, and returns at evening, in response to digicam footage.
Johnson, who creates mannequin prepare content material on YouTube, has had his justifiable share of wildlife sightings. On Christmas Day in 2017, he noticed a small bear cub run throughout his yard. His safety cameras as soon as captured a bobcat strolling previous a feral cat on his property. And a skunk as soon as sprayed him as he walked by the aspect of his home.
“One time my dad was within the storage, he kicked one thing in entrance of the fridge that he felt moved and he couldn’t see too properly. They referred to as animal management and it was an eight-foot boa constrictor,” Johnson stated. “We’re used to seeing wildlife in Altadena. However it’s modified due to drought and hearth.”
In January, the Eaton hearth scorched greater than 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena and displaced hundreds of residents and wildlife. The following month, Pasadena residents discovered a 500-pound bear, nicknamed “Yogi,” dwelling beneath their dwelling after they had been pressured to evacuate as a result of hearth. The bear was relocated to the Angeles Nationwide Forest, in response to a Instances report.
Johnson stated he has two potential names for the bear, relying on its intercourse: Ursa or Barry. He contacted the California Division of Fish and Wildlife, however has but to listen to from them as a result of Thanksgiving vacation.
Fish and Wildlife didn’t instantly reply Sunday to a request for remark.
Johnson stated he final noticed the bear crawling round at 6 a.m. Saturday, including, “And it hasn’t left since.”
“I really feel okay with it,” he stated, “however I would like him to get out.”
