The prolonged saga of an Altadena man and his uninvited house guest, a 550-pound black bear, has come to a close after wildlife officials confirmed the animal's departure. Ken Johnson's home had been the bear's choice of residence for over a month, drawing considerable attention as efforts to evict it repeatedly failed. According to KTLA, state wildlife officials' previous attempts using paintball guns and air horns were unsuccessful, and subsequently were instructed to disengage, leading to Johnson threatening legal action due to negligence and emotional distress.
The standoff ended when the BEAR League, a Lake Tahoe-based nonprofit, stepped in and swiftly ousted the bear, a service they provided at no cost; as Ken Johnson told KTLA, the operation took about 10 minutes, the organization utilizing paintball guns to expedite the eviction and with the bear receiving a slight shock from an electrified mat upon its attempt to return, it has not been back since, only time will tell if the bear has truly moved on for good. Meanwhile, Cort Klopping from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has affirmed that the bear, known by its tag "Yellow 2120," is indeed no longer in the home, and the crawlspace entry has been reinforced to prevent future incidents, as noted by NBCLA.
The situation was a palpable concern for Johnson, who described the disturbances and anxieties caused by the large animal's presence underneath his living quarters; "I feel nervous all the time, I’m always looking over my shoulder to see if he’s coming out," he expressed earlier last month, a sentiment shared by nearby residents wary of the bear's comings and goings, adding an element of unpredictability to their daily lives. Black bears, which are native to the state and have seen a population increase, are known to seek out alternative food sources, including residential areas, when their natural supplies are insufficient, which can lead to uneasy meetings between wildlife and homeowners.
California's black bear population, which is estimated to be between 25,000 and 30,000, typically searches for warm and safe habitats to den during this time of the year, the crawlspace below Johnson's home evidently provided such a refuge, complicating State's efforts to manage wildlife interactions with populated areas even as they stress it is the homeowner's responsibility to secure their property against possible wildlife intrusions, explained Klopping in a statement obtained by CBS News Los Angeles. Johnson was concerned about potential legal repercussions due to the bear's protected status, but can now focus on repairing the damage done to his property, which includes a ruptured gas line, finally bringing an end to a troubling chapter that had no doubt disrupted his sense of security and peace at home.
