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yesterday

After Month in Crawlspace, 550-Pound Bear Evicted From Altadena Home by Volunteers

Volunteer responders deployed paintball hazing plus an electric mat, succeeding where earlier state tactics failed.

Image
FILE - Homeowner Ken Johnson stands outside his house with trash scattered across the driveway after a bear took refuge in a crawl space at his property in Altadena, Calif., Dec. 1, 2025, as a reporter surveying the scene casts a shadow on a wall. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - A bear warning sign is posted at the Basher trailhead in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
FILE - A bear lies inside a crawl space beneath a home in Altadena, Calif., Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Overview

  • California wildlife officials confirmed the ear‑tagged male, known as Yellow 2120, has left the property and the situation at the home is no longer active.
  • BEAR League responders crawled into the tight space and used paintballs filled with vegetable oil to drive the bear out in roughly 10–20 minutes.
  • An electrified "unwelcome" mat placed at the entrance shocked the bear when it tried to return, prompting it to leave again as the homeowner secured the opening.
  • State biologists had tried traps, bait, noisemakers and remote monitoring over several weeks, at one point catching a different bear, and urged residents to secure crawlspaces and remove attractants.
  • The homeowner reports tens of thousands of dollars in damage, including compromised gas lines and ducts, has sought donations for repairs, and the bear’s current whereabouts are unknown.