A Little LA County Bear History

ANTELOPE VALLEY, CA — Did you know the bear on California’s state flag was inspired by a real one? Back in 1911, the designers used “Monarch,” the last grizzly bear kept in captivity at Golden Gate Park, as their model.

Artist representation of "Monarch", which was adopted for use on the State of California flag.

But by 1916, grizzly bears — also called brown bears — had basically vanished south of the Tehachapi Mountains. That October, people camping around Crescenta, Tujunga, and Sunland started spotting huge bear tracks. Someone’s beehives got smashed up (the bear had a serious honey craving), and a nearby vineyard found grape-eating bear tracks too.

Worried about their crops — and probably a little freaked out — local vineyard owners rushed to purchase traps. A guy named Cornelius Johnson led a three-day hunt, and they eventually caught the bear in a trap tied to a heavy log. The poor bear dragged that log for a mile before Johnson’s group caught up and killed it.

Word spread fast: Johnson had taken down a 300-pound female cinnamon-colored bear. He threw a giant town barbecue in Sunland Park on October 29th, feeding everyone bear meat.

A few days later, Johnson brought the pelt to a hide dealer and discovered it wasn’t a cinnamon bear after all — it was a rare silver-tip grizzly! If he’d caught it alive, it could’ve been worth $1,000 (a ton of money back then), or at least $250 for the bones. (Unfortunately, those were tossed after the BBQ.) Still, the pelt sold for around $500. That bear ended up being the last known grizzly killed south of the Tehachapis.

Silvertip Grizzly Bear

The Return of the Bears

Fast forward to 1933 — J. Dale Gentry from the Fish and Game Commission thought it’d be a good idea to bring black bears back to the Angeles and San Bernardino forests. Yosemite had plenty of bears (maybe too many), so Superintendent C. G. Thomson agreed to send some down south.

That November, the Department of Fish and Game trapped 28 black bears. One didn’t survive the trip, but the rest were released:

• 11 at Crystal Lake in LA County

• 6 near Big Bear Lake

• 10 in Santa Ana Canyon, San Bernardino County

Rumor had it these were Yosemite’s “problem bears” — the ones that loved raiding campers’ food and tents.

After hibernating all winter, bears wake up starving.

Hungry, Thirsty, and Curious

After hibernating all winter, bears wake up starving. Their sense of smell is insanely strong — they can detect food from miles away. When summer hits and water gets scarce, they start wandering into neighborhoods looking for something to drink or snack on.

Black Bear

They’ll dig through trash, break bird feeders, eat pet food, or even take a dip in backyard pools and ponds (can you blame them?). Sometimes, this leads to dangerous run-ins with dogs or people.

Over the years, law enforcement around the San Gabriel Mountains have gotten tons of “there’s a bear in my yard!” calls. Deputies usually show up first to make sure no one’s hurt and keep the bear contained until Fish and Game officers arrive. Then, the officers either scare the bear back into the wild or tranquilize and relocate it deeper into the mountains. Before releasing them, they tag the bears to track their movements.

If you see a bear standing on its hind legs, baring its teeth, snarling, or making chomping noises — that’s your cue to back away fast.

When Things Get Tricky

Dealing with mama bears and cubs is a whole different story. Wardens can’t use tranquilizer darts because the dose could kill the cubs — or worse, pass through the mother’s milk and harm them.

Black Bear with her cubs.

And not everyone knows the warning signs of an angry bear. If you see a bear standing on its hind legs, baring its teeth, snarling, or making chomping noises — that’s your cue to back away fast.

If a bear becomes a real danger to people, Fish and Game may have to euthanize it for public safety. In rare emergencies, law enforcement might have to act before that happens to protect residents.

Living with Bears Today

When black bears were reintroduced in 1933, no one thought they’d eventually be exploring this close to our homes. But as neighborhoods expanded into the foothills, bear encounters became part of life in LA County.

Thankfully, law enforcement patrolling near the San Gabriels are trained to handle bear encounters safely — keeping both people and wildlife out of harm’s way.

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Source: Adapted from "Bears in Los Angeles County" by Deputy Chris Miller (retired) — Los Angeles Sheriff's Museum  http://shq.lasdnews.net/pages/pagedetail.aspx?id=3050