Wildlife officials in Monrovia captured a mother bear and her two cubs Sunday, a day after a woman was scratched during an encounter while walking her dog in a residential neighborhood.
According to Monrovia Police Department, the incident occurred around 9:20 a.m. Saturday near Oakglade and Ridgeside drives. Authorities said the bear swiped at a woman’s leg, leaving scratches behind her knee. She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and is expected to recover.
Bear family found under nearby home
After the encounter, officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife spent several hours trying to safely capture a family of bears believed to be living beneath a house in the neighborhood.
By about 6 p.m. Sunday, wildlife crews successfully tranquilized the adult bear and secured the two cubs. The cubs were placed in a large metal crate, while the sedated mother bear was transported on a tarp to a wildlife vehicle.
Authorities said tests will be conducted to determine whether the captured bear was the same animal involved in the earlier attack.
Neighbors surprised by rare incident
Residents say encounters between humans and bears in the area are uncommon.
Ashlie Howie-Storms, a longtime resident who previously documented local bear sightings on social media, said she had spoken to the woman shortly before the incident happened.
She noted that in more than two decades living in the neighborhood, she could not recall a similar situation where someone was injured.
Resident says bears lived under his house
Neighbor Henry Franco said the bear family had been living beneath his home for about two months. He explained that he had observed the cubs since they were very young.
While he was saddened that the woman was hurt, Franco said he was also upset to see the bears removed.
He added that although bears are wild animals, people and wildlife sometimes have to coexist in the same environment.
Possible outcome under review
Wildlife officials said that if testing confirms the captured bear was responsible for the attack, it could potentially be euthanized.
Some Monrovia residents expressed concern about that possibility. Several neighbors said they believe the mother bear may have been acting defensively to protect her cubs and hope the animals can instead be relocated to a safer habitat.