In the Neighborhood : San Gabriel Foothills: Living With Bears and Mountain Lions

Across the southern base of the San Gabriel Mountains stretches a string of communities nestled against the chaparral of the Angeles National Forest. Along these foothills, tensions can arise because people live in homes located where all manner of wild animals roam from the forest’s edge into neighborhoods.

“Everybody’s got rattlesnakes. Everybody’s got coyotes,” says Glen Owens, who lives on a Monrovia hillside. But the plot can thicken when bears and mountain lions wander in. Owens, who heads a group aimed at preserving the San Gabriel Mountains as a wilderness recreation area, had a bear amble through his backyard last year. A friend of his faced off with a mountain lion on a biking trail in Monrovia; the cougar sauntered away.

Sometimes such encounters do not end peacefully. This year, police shot and killed a 350-pound bear in Azusa. The incident provoked a protest. In response, Azusa officials have formed a Wildlife Response Policy Commission, with the notion that there is a need for a uniform approach in handling such incidents throughout San Gabriel foothills. The commission held its first meeting last week. In a related effort, an Arcadia man rounded up donations to buy two tranquilizer dart guns that state game warden said would help them cope with wildlife in neighborhoods.

ON THE NEED FOR EXPERT HANDLING

The potential for life-threatening danger always exists in bear or mountain lion encounters with humans, but Cal Poly Pomona zoologist, Glenn R. Stewart, says that even big bears or mountain lions can be captured with tranquilizer darts if the proper dosage is given by trained experts shooting the animals in the right spot. “You have to estimate the animal’s weight right. It’s good to give even a dose larger. You can overdose them two or three times. It’s not going to harm them. They’ll just sleep longer,” he says. Ropes, cargo nets or even gun-like devices which can fire a net 30 feet can pull down a bear or mountain lion long enough to get a dart into it, Stewart says.

THWARTING ANIMAL INTRUDERS

Discourage bear and mountain lion from coming into residential areas by securing outdoor food sources. Garbage, fruit and certain plants can attract bears or smaller mammals like deer, coyotes, racoons, skunks, rabbits or possum that can be prey for mountain lions.

Seal all garbage.

Keep cat and dog food where wild animals can’t reach it.

Fence off garden and yard areas.

Call 911 if you see a bear or mountain lion in your neighborhood. An untrained person should never approach a bear or mountain lion. If the animal feels cornered it could attack.

PROTECTION IN THE WOODS

Naturalists estimate that there are 450 bears and at least 1000 mountain lions that live in Southern California. When you’re in any wilderness area:

Recognize that you are a visitor in the wild animals’ habitat.

Keep food secure and out of your sleeping bag or tent.

In general, wild animals avoid human contact. A mountain lion may attack to defend partially eaten prey which they have stashed. Bears and mountain lions with cubs may charge in defense of their young.

ANIMAL ADVOCATE’S VIEW

“I went through the roof. I couldn’t believe that they had killed this bear. I believe that they had killed this bear.”

I believe so strongly that we share this planet with all the other creatures, large or small. To basically execute these animals seems to be barbaric. I was hoping this incident could be used to raise the consciousness of people. We shouldn’t be angry at the people who did this. What we should do is try and understand why this happened, understand that there is a fear about large animals and in some cases people act hastily. I don’t think you can blame anybody that years and years of cultural indoctrination has created this fear.”

Pasadena

June 1988

Two children see a mountain lion on East Montana Street. On orders from state fish and game officials, police kill it.

Arcadia

August 1993

Officials trap bear in northern part of city and take it to a remote area of the Angeles National Forest.

Monrovia

September 1992

Bear sloshes through swimming pool at sunrise and drips back into the San Gabriel Mountains.

Azusa

May 1994

Bear that lumbers into home’s carport is shot and killed after police and fish and game wardens try to down animal with tranquilizer.

Glendora

August 1991

State fish and game officials track and kill mountain lion that had killed neighborhood dogs, including a large Doberman pinscher sleeping on the deck of a house.