A black bear at the beach? That’s what National Park Service officials said happened with a collared black bear recently.
BB-12, a 3-to-4-year-old male bear captured and collared on April 23, was tracked by GPS and bear paw prints were seen near Leo Carrillo State Beach, officials said.
“Have you ever seen a black bear take a midnight stroll along the beach? We haven’t either but we know that it happened recently and at least twice in Malibu,” Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area officials wrote on Facebook. “Beach life seemingly did not suit Santa Monica Mountain’s erstwhile resident black bear, BB-12, however.”
Since being collared, BB-12 apparently has also crossed the 101, 23 and 118 freeways, and is currently roaming the northern part of the Santa Susana Mountains, officials said.
His capture was the first time biologists caught and radio collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains. The nearest population of black bears can be found in the Santa Susana Mountains north of the 118 Freeway, officials added.