Posted on 01/09/2026 8:37:01 PM PST by algore
A California homeowner has finally removed a 550-pound bear living under his house that has been wreaking havoc for over a month.
Kenneth Johnson, 63, discovered the massive male black bear had taken up residence in the crawl space of his $1.5 million Altadena home just before Thanksgiving.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) attempted to capture the beast, called Yellow 2120 by researchers, with bait and noisemakers.
But their efforts were unsuccessful and Johnson even threatened to sue the department after they allegedly stopped helping with the removal.
However, the homeowner finally had a stroke of luck on Tuesday when experts with the BEAR League stepped in.
Volunteers from the non-profit organization based in the Lake Tahoe Basin travelled to Los Angeles to help Johnson. The group aims to help people live 'in harmony with bears'.
'Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the home - fully aware the bear was still there - to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawlspace opening,' BEAR League wrote on Facebook.
Video showed the massive bear crawling out from underneath the house as the volunteers fired paintballs at it.
Johnson captured footage of the bear attempting to return to his home two days later, but he was able to board up the crawl space and placed an electrified mat to keep him out.
'We also loaned electric unwelcome mats to give the homeowner time to make repairs and secure the crawlspace to prevent another visit,' BEAR League added.
Before the bear was removed, Johnson said he was forced to shut off his gas after he captured video of a broken pipe by the bear.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I am not a hunter. A private firm got the bear out of the crawlspace and now it appears to be someone else’s problem. LOL.
They also had to shut off their gas because he broke a line under there.
I am honestly surprised the State didn’t force the homeower to leave the property permantently.
Having hauled many dead bears out of the woods.
I would have taken a winch cable in placed it around his neck and started pulling.
Even bears have squatters rights
Esp Bears of Color
Be able to run faster than the slowest member of the group?
There was something wonderfully “Jackass”-like (the movies) in the way the town government decided to do that. If you got a bunch of 14 year old guys together to solve that problem, blowing it up would have been at the top of the list!
What still makes me laugh is the the people watching from the tall grass in the dunes, oohing and aahing when it blew up, but as soon as small particles and fist sized chunks of stinking, rotting blubber began misting, raining, and pelting them, it all turned to shrieks of panic as they ran for their lives!
I have often wondered if those people had to throw away their clothes-I can’t imagine that stink would have ever left on its own, unless they soaked them in buckets of pure Lestoil. At that point, you just throw away the clothes!
I would have gone .75 caliber with a Brunswick rifle!
How about filling up the crawlspace with laughing gas?
“A problem I could have solved with my 308 in one shot and a rope to drag the body out.”
I was part of a hunt where a 360 lb boar was killed (with a .308). Two of us thought for sure we could drag the bear at least to a fire road about 100 yards away. We couldn’t move it 50 feet. Finally got a tractor in there and hauled it out. I was shocked at how difficult it was to move.
Our second option was to skin it out in-situ and take out quarters.
I don’t know...I thought that “volunteer” who crawled in there (because they know how to live in harmony with the bears, after all) was insane.
We saw what happened up in Alaska with that guy and his girlfriend who lived in harmony with the bears!)
.75 caliber with a Brunswick rifle sounds more rational to me!
At least it wasn’t a Sea Bear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68h8-ESTY6o
Wut? Owner couldn’t lay his hands on 10 pounds of warfarin-laced bait?
Geesh. This is embarrassing.
Oh. so you have actually done it. That’s a lot of work.
I thought they might need to chop the dead bear up into smaller pieces. but that sort of Wet Work would require even more time and labor.
California Fish and Wildlife told him he was on his own. His problem. Kind of like what they do when they have wildfires. No water, no warnings, no building permits to rebuild. Folks are on their own. Fortunately the Bear League bailed him out of his problem.
My friend’s brother shot a bear that kept invading his house. He was arrested and jailed for it. California is insane.
A shame. I was born and raised in a resort area. Probably the most beautiful place on God’s creation. I loved it there. I am glad I left but sorry I had to.
🤣🤣🤣
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