Bear removed from under Altadena home after months

Bear Removed from Altadena Home After Two Months

ALTADENA, Calif. — A bear that had been living under an Altadena home for nearly two months has been removed.

The bear, known as Yellow 2120, entered the homeowner’s crawlspace under the kitchen around Thanksgiving and stayed there since.

The homeowner, Ken Johnson, spoke with Eyewitness News. He said the bear was spotted on Wednesday and was shocked by an electrified doormat used by professionals to capture bears.

The bear roamed around the house but soon realized its hibernation spot was sealed off. “I can hear him under there, and it’s really scary when you hear the banging and crushing and scratching and stuff … he’s not happy,” Johnson said.

As of Thursday afternoon, the bear’s whereabouts remain unknown. A wildlife rescue group assisted with the bear’s removal.

State wildlife officials attempted to remove the bear multiple times, but it kept returning. A nonprofit from Lake Tahoe, called The Bear League, then intervened.

“I saw that Ken was potentially looking at litigation against [California Department of Fish and Wildlife] because they kind of left him high and dry and fending for himself with this bear under the house,” said Dave Fleishman from The Bear League.

The group noted their experience made a difference, as they handle similar removals several times a day. The elderly bear, unmoved by typical lures, finally responded to the right combination of pressure and timing.

“He looked very relieved when we walked up, I’ll say that,” Fleishman said about Johnson. “He looked even more relieved, and I would say even surprised, at how quickly we were able to do it, because literally from the time Scott started crawling under the house to the time the bear was out was less than 10 minutes.”

Meanwhile, it is unclear where the bear went after its removal.