A massive black bear that spent more than a month living beneath a family home in Los Angeles has finally been forced out, ending a costly and unsettling ordeal for the homeowner.
A Costly and Unwanted Tenant
The bear, identified by researchers as Yellow 2120, first moved into the crawl space under Ken Johnson's $1.5 million property around Thanksgiving. The 500-pound animal caused significant damage, twisting gas lines and dislodging bricks as it came and went. Surveillance footage captured the bear tearing through screening and squeezing with ease through a surprisingly small opening.
Johnson, 63, initially sought help from the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. Their methods, which included deploying air horns and paintball guns, proved ineffective. They later attempted to trap the bear using bait and noisemakers but succeeded only in capturing a smaller bear.
Specialist Intervention Secures Eviction
Frustrated, Johnson turned to the BEAR League, a Californian non-profit that specialises in human-bear coexistence. In a bold move, one of the group's most experienced responders crawled into the confined space behind the bear to encourage it to leave. "I couldn't believe it was so fast. These guys went in, they crawled in behind him and, boom, he was out," Johnson recounted.
To prevent the bear's return, the specialists installed an "unwelcome" mat at the entrance to the den. This device delivers a mild electric shock. The tactic worked; subsequent video showed the bear returning, stepping on the mat, and promptly running away.
Homeowner Left Counting the Cost
The saga has left Johnson facing thousands of dollars in repair costs, a particularly heavy burden as he lost his job following last year's Eaton wildfire. He described the experience as profoundly "unsettling" and admitted to feeling defeated after his own creative attempts to scare the bear away failed.
Those attempts included improvising a loud burglar alarm and blasting hours-long recordings of barking dogs through speakers aimed into the vents. "If I kept track of everything I tried, it would be Bear 14, Homeowner 0," he said. Johnson had even threatened to sue the state over the Department of Fish and Wildlife's initial failure to resolve the situation.
While the bear has returned to the property at least once since the eviction, it has since moved on, allowing Johnson to finally begin repairs and make his home liveable again.
