Fish and Game officials capture, kill black bear that wandered into a Fillmore neighborhood

A California black bear that was captured early Monday in Fillmore after wandering into a residential area has been destroyed, authorities said.

The 250-pound bear, believed to be about 10 years old, was cornered in a cul-de-sac at Arrasmith Lane and 3rd Street, Ventura County sheriff’s officials said. The cul-de-sac is located two blocks from Mountain Vista Elementary School, authorities said.

Deputies confined the bear to the frontyards of two homes at the end of the street until about 8:30 a.m., when wardens from the state Department of Fish and Game subdued it.

The bear had wandered into the community from its habitat in the nearby Los Padres National Forest.

Sgt. Vince Camou, who has been with the Sheriff’s Department for 20 years, said this was his first encounter with a bear while on duty.

“We get them down here every so often, but this is the first time that they’ve come down into a residential area,” he said. “The bear was very cooperative and didn’t try to charge past us; it was pretty mellow.”

Steve Martarano, a spokesman for Fish and Game, said the bear had to be destroyed because state law prohibits returning a bear to the wild within 14 days of being sedated during hunting season. The season ends Dec. 31 or whenever this year’s hunting limit of 1,700 is reached.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to end up putting it down, but at this time of year the options are limited,” Martarano said.

The department calculates there are 30,000 to 35,000 black bears in the state.

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greg.griggs@latimes.com