Bear forced to crawl out of space under Altadena home spotted at 2 more homes
A wild bear in Altadena, California, may be back in the market for a new home.
The 550-pound bear, who was recently removed from Altadena resident Ken Johnson's home, has since been spotted at two other homes, according to Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League, a California-based animal protection nonprofit.
Bryant told ABC News on Tuesday that once the bear was removed from Johnson's home, it went to the crawl space of another home in the Southern California community, where it was welcomed by the homeowner and had spent time in the past.
That homeowner had no problem with the bear's presence and did not ask for it to be removed. The bear stayed in that location for one day, according to Bryant.
Following the bear's stay at the second home, the animal moved to a third home, whose owner did not want the bear present, according to Bryant.
Bryant said the BEAR League was contacted by the third homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, and said they helped put out electrical mats to spook the bear and coax it to leave.
The bear stayed at the third residence for three days, ultimately leaving Sunday night around 9:30 p.m.
The bear's whereabouts are currently unknown.
ABC News reached out to California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which said it had not received reports relating to the incident.
"We are strongly encouraging residents to check that access points to their crawlspaces are secured, and if they are not, to secure them. Since this area is so close to wildlife habitat, bear encounters are expected, so residents are strongly urged to remove attractants such as pet food and garbage and to keep grills clean," the department said in a statement to ABC News.
"Bears have an extremely powerful sense of smell and are able to detect food from up to 5 miles away, making attractant management essential," the department added. "To stay safe, never corner a bear, always give it a clear escape route, make yourself look large by waving your arms, make noise, and slowly back away toward a building or vehicle."
Johnson first reported last month that a black bear had been living in the crawl space under his home for over a month.
Johnson, 63, told ABC Los Angeles station KABC at the time that the 550-pound bear sounded like a dragon and scared him.
He said the bear had even damaged a gas line, causing him to have to shut off the gas.
