What began as a startling discovery for one California homeowner has evolved into a concerning pattern for an entire community. The saga of bears taking up residence in the crawlspaces beneath houses in Altadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, is transitioning from a one-off incident to an emerging trend.
From One Crawlspace to Many: The Altadena Bear Saga
The situation came to prominence in late November 2025, when a massive 550lb black bear decided to make the space under Kenneth Johnson's home its new den. For weeks, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) attempted to trap the animal, but without success.
The breakthrough came in early December when The Bear League, a non-profit volunteer organisation based in Lake Tahoe, intervened. Using paintball guns, volunteers were able to force the bear out of its unlikely refuge, bringing a temporary close to Johnson's ordeal.
"We are grateful to have been able to help the bear and the residents and hope we can continue to do so," the organisation stated.
A Pattern Emerges: Is It the Same Bear?
However, any hope that the issue was resolved was short-lived. Shortly after the eviction, reports surfaced of bears appearing under other homes in the same Altadena neighbourhood.
First, a resident living just half a mile from Johnson provided photographs of a bear under their property. By Tuesday, a bear—described by local outlet KTLA as the same animal—was reportedly seeking shelter under yet another home.
Officials, however, urge caution in assuming it's the same culprit. The bear removed from Johnson's home was tagged by the DFW as Yellow 2120. Cort Klopping, a DFW information officer, told the Los Angeles Times that the area is so active with bears that the new sightings could easily be a different animal.
"It's such a prevalent area for bear activity that this very well could be a different bear, so we can't say that it's the same," Klopping explained.
Living Alongside California's Black Bears
The Bear League, which specialises in helping humans and bears coexist, reports receiving several calls a day from concerned residents in the Lake Tahoe region about similar incidents. In those mountainous areas, bears are a common sight and are known to break into homes and cars in search of food, prompting constant reminders for residents to secure trash and food sources.
In response to the Altadena situation, the League has assisted by installing electrical mats designed to deter bears from approaching properties.
California is home to an estimated 49,000 to 71,000 black bears, the state's only bear species. They primarily inhabit regions between the north coast, the Cascade range, and the Sierra Nevada. Despite their size and growing proximity to human habitats, they are generally non-confrontational. In recorded state history, black bears are known to have been responsible for just one human fatality.
The events in Altadena highlight the ongoing challenges of wildlife management in urban-adjacent areas, suggesting that the phenomenon of bears seeking shelter under homes may be becoming more than just an isolated event.
