Los Angeles County officials are asking the state for more help in dealing with bears in the San Gabriel Valley foothills.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion to ask the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to add more experts in bear-human encounters and do more to “meet the specific needs of Sierra Madre, Monrovia and other San Gabriel Valley communities” with “a targeted, regional response plan,” Los Angeles Daily News reports.
“The proximity of foothill communities to the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument increases the incidents in which bears — as well as bobcats and mountain lions — invade homes, parks, school grounds and even downtown shopping areas,” the Daily News explained.
The Sierra Madre Police Department noted that such encounters have increased, rising from 130 reports of black bears in residential areas in 2022 to 307 in 2023.
In recent months alone, bears have been spotted inside homes and backyards in Monrovia and near homes and on trails in Sierra Madre.