Residents in a northeast Santa Maria neighborhood discovered a surprise visitor — a bear — in their yards early Saturday.
Santa Maria police and Santa Barbara County Animal Services responded to the scene just before 5 a.m. while awaiting the arrival of a wildlife officer from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Police Sgt. Russ Mengel said the bear was spotted in a neighborhood in the 200 block of North Palisade Drive, north of East Main Street a few blocks from Marian Regional Medical Center.
Authorities tranquilized the animal so it could be relocated to a better-suited habitat, Mengel added.
“The bear was about 2½ miles from open space with no direct route back to its habitat so our officers immobilized the bear,” said Janice Mackey, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The male bear weighed approximately 100 pounds and was in “relatively good health,” she added.
The animal was successfully immobilized and returned to its habitat, she said.
“You just never know what might turn up in our residential neighborhoods, especially as we endure these drought conditions,” Animal Services officials said on Facebook.
This is the second bear incident in the North County in recent months. In July, Lompoc police also handled a report of a bear in a neighborhood near the Santa Ynez River. That bear ended up returning to the riverbed on its own.
To avoid attracting wild animals, state game wardens recommend residents remove any possible water or food sources. Additionally, pets should be locked up overnight since wild animals are more active in the evening and near dawn.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.