Another LA homeowner finds unwelcome bear roommate — and it might be a familiar face
Ken Johnson lived with a 550-lb. bear under his home for 37 days. Ken J. Johnson
Another Los Angeles County homeowner is dealing with an unexpected and unwelcome tenant after a large black bear settled beneath their house in Altadena.
The discovery comes just one week after a 550-pound bear was driven out from under a nearby home, where it had been living for more than a month. Wildlife officials are now working to determine whether the latest incident involves that same bear or a different one.
Video of the bear hiding under the home was provided to KTLA by the homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said it is reviewing the footage to see whether the animal is the previously tagged bear known as “Yellow 2120” or a new arrival.
Altadena resident Ken Johnson knows firsthand how disruptive an under-the-house bear can be. A bear took up residence in his crawl space shortly after Thanksgiving last year, keeping him awake at night, damaging his property, and overshadowing the holiday season.
After 37 days, the bear finally left last Thursday following an unusual intervention. A group known as “The Bear League,” based near Lake Tahoe, used paintball guns loaded with vegetable oil to irritate the animal and encourage it to move on — a method the group commonly uses.
Johnson believes the newly reported bear is likely the same one that lived under his home. “I’m pretty sure it’s the same one. I saw him run off in that direction,” he told The Post, noting that the new house is located where the bear appeared to be heading.
The latest home sits near the foothills of Altadena and borders the Angeles National Forest, an area where bears frequently venture into neighborhoods searching for food and sheltered spaces like crawl areas, according to CDFW.
“This is a very common spot for bear activity,” said CDFW spokesperson Cort Koppling. He added that during earlier efforts to trap Johnson’s bear using sardines and peanut butter, officials accidentally captured a different bear roaming the neighborhood instead.
Johnson offered advice to homeowners now facing a similar situation. “Stay calm, keep an air horn handy just in case, and contact The Bear League,” he said. “They know how to handle this.”
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