Wildlife officials tranquilized a bear Wednesday afternoon in the Ventura County community of Fillmore.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife received a report Tuesday of a bear in the area. Team members were at the site with department biologists.
The city of Fillmore notified residents about the bear and asked people to avoid the area as officers responded to the neighborhood in the 800 block of 4th Street. Law enforcement officers are coordinating with wildlife officials.
The black bear, estimated at 400 to 500 pounds, appeared to be near a block wall next to a home and several trees. Wildlife officials tranquilized the bear early Wednesday afternoon.
They plan to assess the bear before relocating it to a suitable habitat in the wild.
About bears in California
Black bears, which can have different color coats, like to feed on plants, insects, nuts, berries and whatever else they think of as edible — such as the contents of trash bins. If food is scarce in their natural habitat, bears are likely to forage elsewhere, bringing them into Southern California foothill neighborhoods.
California’s black bear population has been on the rise over the last two decades, growing from an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 in the early 1980s to between 25,000 and 30,000 — and that’s a conservative estimate, according to the state department of fish and wildlife.
Black bears, recognized by their small, narrow heads and small ears, have coats that range in color from tan or brown to black. Females grow up to about 200 pounds and males can be a hefty 350 pounds with some giants weighing in at more than 600 pounds.
About half of the state’s bear population can be found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and areas to the north and west. Only an estimated 10 percent of the black bear population inhabits central western and southwestern California.
Although its on the state flag, the fearsome grizzly bear no longer can be found in the California wild. The last grizzly bear observed in California was shot in the early 1920s.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nbclosangeles.com ’
