Bear spotted repeatedly in SLO County — and wildlife officials can’t catch it
Trisha Ginsburg Oksner was walking up Rodeo Drive in Arroyo Grande on Tuesday when she spotted something “out of context” — a black bear in between houses.
“I kind of made a little noise and grabbed my friend, and she goes, ‘You scared me,’” Oksner said. “And I’m like, I couldn’t even say it. I’m like, ‘Bear.’”
Oksner said the bear ran underneath the basketball hoop of a nearby house, where her friend, Virginia Roof, was able to take a photo. After watching the bear run away, Oksner and Roof went to the door of the house to inform its residents of the sighting.
Oksner said it was the first time she had seen a bear in Arroyo Grande.
Oksner posted the sighting to Facebook on Tuesday. Over the past month, several other sightings have been reported on the social media app Nextdoor.
Dave Hacker, the environmental program manager for California Fish and Wildlife’s Central Region, said that the agency has received multiple reports of bear sightings in Arroyo Grande in recent weeks.
“It is a young bear that has recently dispersed from its natal range,” Hacker wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Young, dispersing bears like this often find themselves in the urban interface where they can avoid competition from larger adult bears.”
Hacker said that Fish and Wildlife is currently working to relocate the bear to a “better, remote bear habitat.”
The bear, however, has proved elusive and difficult to catch.
“There are lots of small open spaces around town for it to slip into, and it has avoided our live traps,” Hacker wrote. “It seems to be residing in the canyons and creeks, and taking advantage of outdoor pet food, livestock feed and garbage that is easily accessible around town.”
Hacker said that black bears are typically afraid of humans. If you see a bear, Fish and Wildlife advises people to “make yourself look big and make lots of noise” and not to run.
Hacker also advised residents to keep pet food indoors and trash in protected enclosures to prevent bears from being drawn to residential areas.
Bear sightings can be reported to Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Incident Reporting System. In the case of an attack or aggressive behavior, call 911 immediately.
