The mama bear and cub matching the description of those who’ve been spotted recently in La Cañada Flintridge made the TV news over the weekend when a homeowner’s surveillance camera caught the bears facing off with a coyote over the contents of a trash can on his property.
According to the station, the black bear and cub could be seen investigating a trash can in Chris McDonald’s yard when a coyote appeared on the scene, attracted either by the trash or the cub.
The bears reportedly won the showdown and had first dibs at the trash.
“The mother kept the cub very close,” McDonald told the station. “So it seemed well protected despite the effort of the coyote.”
Last week, personnel for the Department of the Fish and Wildlife chased bears back into suitable habitat, spokesman Andrew Hughan said.
“It’s possible it’s the same bears,” Hughan wrote in an email Monday. “Bears have been known to come back to the same trash can over and over so it’s certainly possible.”
“We are not going take any action or interfere with nature. This bear and coyote are going to work it out,” he added. “Our policy is to keep it wild whenever possible and let nature take its course.”
— Mirjam Swanson
