Device Seeks to Scare Bears From Trash Cans

Bears wandering down from the San Gabriel Mountains could be in for a nasty surprise if they start rummaging in the wrong trash can for food.

A “Bear Be Gone” device donated today to the Pasadena Humane Society looks like a trash can, but contains a powerful blast of pepper spray for any creature curious enough to stick its head inside.

San Gabriel Mountains Bear and Wildlife Preservation Society President Craig Bonholtzer, who donated the $400 device to the Humane Society, said the idea is to condition the bears not to get into trash cans.

“My hope is that every foothill community ends up purchasing one of these units,” Bonholtzer said.

The device, made in Colorado, is a 20-gallon drum with a bait sack connected to a mechanism that triggers the pepper spray. The pepper spray, a brand called “Counter Assault,” can stop all kinds of creatures, from bears to mountain lions and elephants, Bonholtzer said.

Bonholtzer blamed new development in the foothills for bringing bears more into contact with humans. The society receives at least two to three calls a week about bear sightings, he said.