Sun Valley bear tranquilized, captured after roaming neighborhood
A bear that spent more than an hour Wednesday morning roaming through a Sun Valley neighborhood was tranquilized and captured and will be returned to the forest, authorities said.
The approximately 15-month-old bear scaled walls, climbed fences and slipped in and out of horse corrals in Sun Valley, south of the 210 Freeway, for about 1½ hours beginning about 6 a.m.
About half a dozen Los Angeles police officers and a state game warden eventually cornered the bear and tranquilized it. The bear will be released in the Angeles National Forest, said Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Apparently it was the aroma of trash and leftover people food that lured the bear, which had a tag in its ear, indicating it had been captured before.
“The smells are what bring them there,” Hughan said. “It’s all about the food.”
In rural areas, homeowners should be vigilant in picking their fruit trees, “especially avocados,” he said. “It’s the fat content in avocados. It’s their favorite.”
The bear traveled more than a quarter-mile between Sun Valley and Shadow Hills during its morning adventure, followed by TV cameras.
Hughan said residents in the area are accustomed to encountering wild animals on occasion. They live in the area because they like nature, he said.
“They do understand that if a bear is in their swimming pool, it’s the cost of living in that environment,” he said.
A bear scared children out of a pool in La Cañada Flintridge last week.
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