A 550-pound black bear that spent more than a month living beneath a Southern California man’s home has finally been removed, after an unusual but effective strategy succeeded where repeated state efforts had failed. The adult male bear had been wedging itself into a small crawl space under the Altadena home of Ken Johnson since late November.
According to surveillance footage, the animal routinely entered and exited the space, causing severe structural damage and creating a serious safety hazard. Johnson said the bear’s presence led to tens of thousands of dollars in damage and forced him to shut off utilities due to the risk of gas leaks.
“Right after surviving the Eaton fire, I lost my job, and shortly after that, the bear began tearing into the structure of my home,” Johnson wrote on a GoFundMe page. “I have video footage of it twisting gas pipes, which created an extremely dangerous situation and forced me to shut off my utilities just to stay safe.”
After weeks of unsuccessful removal attempts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Johnson contacted the BEAR League, a nonprofit based in the Lake Tahoe region that specializes in emergency bear evictions.
The organization confirmed that two experienced responders traveled seven hours south to Altadena and completed the eviction in less than 20 minutes. One rescuer crawled into the tight crawl space and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil at the bear’s backside, prompting it to flee.
BEAR League said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it was “pleased to have helped Ken Johnson with this bear,” noting that the animal had been living under the home for more than a month before the homeowner sought their help.
“After earlier removal attempts by state wildlife officials were unsuccessful, BEAR League first responders Scott and Dave traveled to the Los Angeles area to assist,” the group said. “Scott, one of our most experienced responders, crawled beneath the home fully aware the bear was still there to get behind him and encourage him to exit through the crawl space opening.”
To prevent the bear from returning, BEAR League loaned Johnson Electric “unwelcome mats,” which deliver a mild shock when stepped on. Social media footage shared by the organization shows the bear briefly returning to the crawl space, then quickly retreating once it encountered the mat.
The group emphasized that unsecured crawl spaces often attract bears seeking winter shelter. “We remind those who live in bear country that a poorly-secured crawl space is an open invitation for a winter visitor like this bear,” BEAR League said.
The successful eviction marked the end of a long series of failed attempts by state officials, which included bait, noisemakers, and even a trap that mistakenly caught the wrong bear.
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