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Getting rid of an unwanted houseguest can be difficult, but seldom does it involve a paintball gun and an electrified mat. A 550lb black bear that took residence under a southern California home for more than a month has finally been removed, KTLA has reported.
Altadena resident Ken Johnson first noticed the bear was living in the crawl space below his home in late November.
“He’s a nuisance and he’s living under my house rent-free,” Johnson told the Orange County Register last month.
Johnson contacted California’s department of fish and wildlife (DFW) about the bear and the agency attempted to trap it to no avail. Instead, they snagged a smaller bear, leaving the 550lb one to remain. After more than a month of the bear’s occupation, Johnson threatened to sue the DFW for negligence and emotional distress, according to KTLA.
“If I kept track of everything I tried, it would be Bear: 14, Homeowner: 0,” Johnson told the news outlet.
Johnson’s house wasn’t the first home the bear – who’d been tagged as number 2120 by the DFW – had sought refuge under. He had taken up residence in another home in the area before the officials moved him about 10 miles away.
After the Eaton wildfire tore through the Angeles national forest and scorched parts of Altadena last January, wildlife – including several bears – sought shelter in the community. In the weeks after the fire, at least two 500lb-plus black bears sought refuge in homes evacuated during the wildfire, though it is unclear if 2120 was one of those bears.
Black bears – the only species of bear living in California – are largely non-confrontational, having killed only one person in the state in recorded history. The population is estimated to be between 49,000 and 71,000, with 50% living in the north coast and Cascade regions, and 40% in the Sierra Nevada.
On Tuesday, a Lake Tahoe-based non-profit called Bear League stepped in to help Johnson by shooting at the bear with paintball guns, which drove it from under the house.
“I couldn’t believe it was so fast,” Johnson told KTLA. “These guys went in, they crawled in behind him and, boom, he was out.”
The bear tried to come back two days later but was met with a deterrent – an electrified mat that covered the crawl space’s entrance, according to KTLA. Johnson added that since the bear’s removal, he’s been able to assess the damage it left, which includes a ruptured gas line.
