Unbearable Visitor : 450-Pound Bruin Wears Out Welcome in Oak View but Not Before Getting Some Free Dental Work

A 450-pound bear who dropped into Oak View over the weekend for some food, drink and a little rest wore out his welcome by Monday.

After nervous neighbors called the Sheriff’s Department, officials drugged the animal and drove him out of town.

The bear, which authorities described as docile, has been seen in the area during the past two weeks, experts said. He probably trekked down from the Los Padres National Forest to feast on fresh fruits and honey from beehives, they said.

“He may have gotten used to the good life,” said Kathy Jenks, head of the Ventura County Department of Animal Regulation.

Bears often head toward civilization around August when water becomes scarce in the backcountry or when crops come due for harvest, officials said. However, the bears are appearing earlier this year, probably because of the drought, Jenks said.

In recent months, Jenks said, her agency has been advised of at least five different bears in the Ojai area, Jenks said. Sheriff’s Department officials said they have had at least 12 reports of bears since January.

The bear discovered Monday has been reported in the past couple of weeks wandering near the town of Casitas Springs, officials said. And Sunday afternoon he was seen poking through the trash cans at Rancho Arnaz, an apple farm on California 33, Jenks said.

Authorities said he may have been chased from the hills in the Los Padres National Forest by dogs. Or he may have lingered in the area because of medical problems. However, veterinarian Craig Koerner said the bear appeared healthy, aside from a broken tooth.

Indeed, officials said it may never be entirely clear why the bear came to town.

“We asked him, but he didn’t tell us,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Funchess said. “He wasn’t saying a whole lot.”

On Monday, residents saw the bear walking down Old Grade Road about 6 a.m. and telephoned the Sheriff’s Department.

Kim Canton, 29, and her husband watched the bear lumber into a shed-like carport between two houses across the street. Canton said she quickly telephoned neighbor Mary Springer, 79, whose house is next to the carport.

She and other neighbors found the bear “sitting on its haunches looking around,” Springer said, noting that the bear made a big impression.

“Big, big, big, big,” Springer said.

But she said the bear did not seem threatening. “I think he was tired,” Springer said.

Jenks said that Ojai Valley residents have learned to coexist with the wildlife that often wanders down from the nearby mountains.

But she warned that people who see them should take their dogs and children, go to their houses and call authorities. “One slash with a bear’s paw and it can shred a dog,” she said.

Sheriff’s deputies called for reinforcements from Animal Control and the state Department of Fish and Game.

They then blocked Old Grade Road, asking some residents to stay in their houses and others to head to the end of the street.

Springer was evacuated from her house for fear that she might be hit if the animal charged and deputies were forced to shoot at it, Sgt. Don Cunningham said.

“Fortunately for us and for him, he elected to stay in the carport,” Cunningham said.

He described the animal as docile. “He would stand up periodically, look around and look at us,” Cunningham said.

When Koerner arrived, he shot the bear with a tranquilizer gun three times, injecting the animal with about half a tablespoon of sedatives, he said.

About 40 minutes later, the bear lay down on a blue quilt and slumbered peacefully while the veterinarian removed the broken canine tooth that was exposing a nerve in the bear’s mouth, Jenks said.

Five men, grunting and groaning, then dragged the bear up a ramp into a closed truck to begin a 45-minute journey back to the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai. He was set free in an area heavily populated by other bears, Jenks said.

“Maybe he can find a mate,” she said. “They can live happily ever after and he can stay out of Oak View.”