Some Santa Barbara County residents have seen unexpected furry visitors wander into their neighborhoods and even onto their properties in recent weeks.
At one house in the Toro Canyon area, two bears wandered into the backyard and took a swim in the pool early Sunday morning.
The residence’s outdoor camera captured about an hour’s worth of footage of the two black bears in the pool, according to homeowner Sam, who asked Noozhawk to use only his first name for privacy reasons.
In the video clip shared with Noozhawk, the bears appear to be drinking the pool water before stepping in just before 5 a.m.
The larger bear, believed to be the mother, lays on a pool step while the smaller bear takes a lap in the water. The mother then seemingly gives the smaller bear some help getting out of the pool.
Increased black bear activity in the summer months throughout the South Coast region of Southern California, where bears are present, is typical, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists.
The recent local sightings are consistent with normal seasonal patterns, according to spokesman Cort Klopping.
“At this time of year, bears are actively searching for food and water, and many natural food sources, such as berry crops, are now ripe,” Klopping said.
“It’s also common to see yearling bears dispersing in search of new home ranges after separating from their mothers. In some cases, reports may also involve adult males that were roaming more widely during the breeding season earlier in the year (May and June).”
Black bears are the only species found in California, but their coats vary in color, and some of them look brown.
Sam said his primary concern is having a run-in with the mama bear one day. He added that he did not report the sighting to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“To me, wildlife owns the neighborhood,” he said.
Maire Radis, who also lives in the Toro Canyon area, told Noozhawk that she, too, gets a bear visitor, usually at night.
“She likes my compost pile, but I have seen her on the road in the daytime, too,” Radis wrote in an email.
Last week, resident near Romero Canyon posted a video to Nextdoor of a large brownish bear in his front yard early in the morning.
“I heard like a thump and thought it was actually one of my dogs or my husband getting up or something,” Sean Haleen said. “I looked over to my left and the bear was actually at my glass sliding doors.”
In the video, Haleen repeatedly said, “Oh my God,” and then asked, “What does one do?” and “It’s going to eat my flowers,” as the bear walks away from the front yard.
“I was thinking I don’t know how he got in because my entire property has a perimeter hedge and is mostly fenced,” he said.
As a landscape designer, he was also worried about the garden beds he recently planted.
He said that after speaking with his neighbors, they have deduced that two different bears visit the neighborhood.
For Haleen, his concerns regarding bear sightings are about the animals’ safety.
“My position is that especially in Montecito, we are very much in their territory, and it’s not really our position to be trying to control them but rather to be keeping them safe,” he said.
Last month, a video uploaded to social media showed a large black bear walking around Toro Canyon. A couple of weeks before that sighting, another black bear was spotted in western Goleta, as Noozhawk previously reported.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife advises California residents to use bear-resistant containers to secure trash, recycling and compost, pick ripe fruit off trees and pick any fallen fruit, keep doors and windows closed and locked, and remove unsecured trash, food and strongly scented things from vehicles and yards to prevent possible conflict.
Residents can report bear sightings or incidents using the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s system.
