A bear strolled through a Glendora shopping center in broad daylight Wednesday afternoon, ambling past the front door of a hair salon and through a strip mall hallway as stunned employees and shoppers watched. The animal appeared around 1 p.m. outside Alur Studios, a salon located in a strip mall off U.S. Route 66 and Los Cerritos Road, before wandering into the backlot behind the building and eventually wandering away from the area.
Jessica Ruiz, a co-owner of Alur Studios, said she first noticed something unusual outside her business. As reported by CBS News, Ruiz said she saw the animal's brown-golden hair and realized it was a bear, describing the moment the bear was casually walking down the hallway near her salon. Video posted to social media captured the animal wandering through the shopping center in full view of passersby.
Employees Rush to Catch a Glimpse
Word of the bear's presence spread quickly through the shopping center, with employees running from the store to see it for themselves. Shoppers and workers at the center watched as the bear walked around the backlot behind Alur Studios before it eventually wandered away from the area on its own, according to the same report.
The sighting is far from an isolated event for the region. Black bears are not native to Southern California; they were first introduced to the San Gabriel Mountains in 1933, when 11 bears categorized as troublemakers were relocated from Yosemite National Park to the Angeles National Forest, according to Glendora Patch. The sighting also highlights the region's history with bears.
A Population Boom and a Scorched Mountain Range
The 1933 Yosemite transplants are part of the region's bear history. In April 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released its updated statewide Black Bear Conservation and Management Plan, estimating the state's black bear population at 60,000 animals, per the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The agency finalized that plan after reviewing public comments from more than 5,000 individuals and interest groups.
Habitat loss may also be pushing bears toward Glendora's foothill communities. The Bridge Fire burned nearly 55,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest in September 2024, according to the City of Glendora. The fire was reported near Glendora Mountain Road and East Fork Road, and a blaze Hoodline covered as it prompted evacuations near Glendora after it had burned over 800 acres in its early hours.
How Bears Travel From Forest to Strip Mall
Glendora's geography may help explain how a wild bear ends up wandering past a salon's front door. The city is intersected by major flood control washes such as Big Dalton Wash, which runs through Glendora, according to Urbanize LA. That network forms part of the city's flood-control landscape.
Timing may have played a role too. The bear was seen moving through a suburban landscape. Extreme heat may have prompted this bear to seek cooler areas.
Why the Bear Was Left Alone
The report says the Glendora bear wandered away. General safety advice addresses encounters with bears in suburban or commercial areas.
People who encounter a bear in a residential community are advised to call 911, according to Glendora Patch. The report does not say that the bear was tranquilized or captured. Property owners facing severe bear damage should seek guidance on available responses. Non-lethal deterrents are among the responses discussed for bear conflicts, while people are advised never to feed wildlife.
Human-bear interactions are increasing as bears and people share foothill areas. Bears are drawn into foothill neighborhoods by their keen sense of smell, picking up on unsecured trash, pet food, fruit trees, and swimming pools. For now, the Alur Studios bear appears to have simply moved on, leaving behind a social-media video and a shopping center full of witnesses with quite the story to tell.
