[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#d9ae52″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(224,153,0,0.73) 0%|rgba(224,153,0,0.91) 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(224,153,0,0.73)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(224,153,0,0.91)” background_image=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/altatena-woods-bgrnd.jpg” background_position=”top_center” custom_padding=”39px||41px|||” transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title Header” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ text_font=”Crimson Text||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”30″ header_font_size=”63px” background_layout=”dark” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]Ursus americanus californiensis[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” transparent_background=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”91%” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/black_bear.jpg” title_text=”black_bear” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”11px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”17px” header_4_text_color=”#6B6B6B” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
by Val Zavala<\/p>\n
It\u2019s ironic that the only grizzly bear in California is on our state flag. There have been no grizzly bears in California for a century, the last was shot in 1922 in Tulare County. It is the black bear that has made itself comfortable in our San Gabriels<\/p>\n
The are called black bears, but they come in all shades, from dark brown to cinnamon. Black bears were widely hunted in the 19th century in Southern California, apparently to extinction. They were reintroduced in the 1930s when California wildlife officials moved 28 \u201cproblem bears\u201d from Yosemite National Park to southern California; 22 were released in Angeles National Forest and six in Los Padres National Forest. They have thrived and multiplied, now there are now 30,000 to 40,000 black bears statewide. Small by bear standards. females weigh up to 175 pounds, males can weigh as much as 660 pounds.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Jessica West, a Human-Wildlife Conflict Specialist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, spends much of her time educating people about bears and how to interact \u2013\u2013 or not interact \u2013\u2013 with them \u201cmostly managing the things that attract the bears, like unsecured food and water, bird feeders, fruit trees, and garbage. Over time the bears become \u2018habituated\u2019, their natural fear is diminished and that increases risky behavior.\u201d Their natural diet is insects (particularly ants), nuts, berries, acorns, grasses, roots and other vegetation.<\/p>\n
Unlike coyotes, West says \u201cOverall people love the black bears. When you talk to folks about a bear entering their home they are so forgiving. They want to report the bear but don\u2019t want anything bad to happen to it. \u2018Please, don\u2019t hurt them\u2019 they say.\u201d Department policy is to never harm a bear except when one is deemed \u201cpredatory,\u201d a highly unusual situation. Officials will relocate a bear only if a homeowner has taken every precaution and the animal continues to be destructive. Where bears are about, it\u2019s critical to secure trash cans and other sources of food. (There\u2019s more advice for homeowners about bears at wildlife: ca.gov\/Keep-Me-Wild\/Bear<\/p>\n
Bears can have very specific food preferences says West. \u201cI\u2019ve heard of a bear that raided a fridge that would take the chocolate cake but not touch the bacon. Another bear had taken to eating citronella candles. If they like a scent, they will investigate. We could tell which scat was his, it smelled like citronella-scented poop.\u201d
Some people who love bears may feel a desire to leave food out for them so the bears stay healthy, but West says \u201cdon\u2019t do this.\u201d It just speeds \u201chabituation\u201d and bears that become habituated to hand-outs or garbage become nuisances.<\/p>\n
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Bears in the southern California foothills don\u2019t hibernate, it just doesn\u2019t get cold enough to make dens; they sleep in trees, on the ground, or even on patios. Prolonged drought and higher temperatures in California make swimming pools increasingly appealing to bears.<\/p>\n
Mother bears usually keep their cubs for about two years, but when food and water become scarce they may separate from them earlier. Left on their own, the cubs are vulnerable to coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and even other bears. About one in five cubs don\u2019t survive, but those who do live for an average of 18 years. It is legal to hunt black bears with a permit; given their healthy numbers, hunting has little impact on the overall black bear population.<\/p>\n
If you encounter a bear while hiking or camping, first stand still. Do not approach it. Move away quietly in the opposite direction. Do not run, that can trigger a chase response. If the bear is cornered it will get fearful, so be sure to leave the bear a clear exit as you back away. More bear encounter advice at bearwise.org\/bear-safety-tips\/bear-encounter\/<\/p>\n
Over the nine decades since Ursus americanus californiensis was reintroduced in Southern California no human has ever been killed by this species. Wildlife officials would like to keep it that way.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ursus americanus californiensisby Val Zavala It\u2019s ironic that the only grizzly bear in California is on our state flag. There have been no grizzly bears in California for a century, the last was shot in 1922 in Tulare County. It is the black bear that has made itself comfortable in our San Gabriels The are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter-2022-fall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7095"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7198,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7095\/revisions\/7198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}