Are bear encounters increasing in Southern California?

Wildlife officials in Southern California are tracking what appears to be a surge in black bear encounters this year and in recent years.

Bears have been spotted in residential areas of Sierra Madre, Monrovia, and Castaic within the past week. On Monday, officers attempted to tranquilize and relocate a bear that wandered through a neighborhood near Castaic Lake.

“We definitely see what looks like an increase in bear activity, but it could be any number of things,” said Jessica West, Wildlife Conflict Specialist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Among the theories is that neighborhood bear reports have increased as WiFi home security cameras have become more widely used and more people work from home.

“It might seem like we’re seeing more bears and other wildlife, but we know they’ve always been there. They’re always going to be looking for easy resources that our communities often provide,” she told KTLA’s Lauren Lyster on Tuesday.

In the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, bears are viewed as mischievous but mostly harmless neighbors who take dips in pools, rummage through trash and only occasionally venture into homes in search of food.

JP and Annie Slater shared a recent video of a young bear who visits the hill behind their backyard in Sierra Madre “almost every day.” The clip shows the bear casually lying on its back next to a tree and scratching its belly – with apparently no concern for the humans nearby.

“You see them all the time. They’re just around,” says Sierra Madre resident Kurt Richter. “I’ve had friends where they’ve gotten into their houses and into their cars.”

“It’s part of life. We understand that they were here first, so we’ve got to respect their space, but they also need to respect ours,” says another local resident, Stephanie Graham.

Wildlife experts estimate California’s wild black bear population at 50,000 to 81,000. Despite the frequent sightings, bear attacks on humans are extremely rare in the Golden State.

If you have a close encounter with a bear, experts say you should back away slowly, try to appear as large as possible and make noise. Do not run or “play dead.”