Welcome to the neigh-bear-hood! Moment huge bear is captured on video casually roaming Los Angeles street in the middle of the day

A massive bear has been spotted walking around a Los Angeles neighborhood unencumbered on the sidewalk and in the street.

The video was captured in Arcadia, California – an area found roughly 20 miles northeast of central LA – on Friday.

Experts say bear sightings are becoming increasingly common in the area and residents have been warned to take precautions as the weather heats up.

The bear in the video is not identified but according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the black bear population has been booming.

As of 2023, there are about 30,000 to 40,000 bears statewide compared to an estimated 10,000 just 40 years ago.

The most recent bear sighting happened on Highland Oaks Drive Friday afternoon.

The 23-second video shows the large bear meandering through the residential neighborhood at a slow pace and without encountering any individuals.

Users on social media chimed in on the video at the weekend, expressing their awe and astonishment over the close encounter.

‘Cool dude!! Leave him alone and he’ll do the same..learn to live in harmony with our wildlife,’ wrote one person.

‘OF COURSE it’s casually roaming! Who is going to stop it. WOW, what a beautiful creature!’ another user wrote.

‘I’ve seen more bears in the foothills than I ever have while hiking,’ wrote another.

Highland Oaks Drive is located in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, a wooded and forested area covering an approximate 700,000 acres.

‘Arcadia neighborhood spotted in bears territory!’ one Facebook user joked.

Experts say that residents should remain vigilant, keep pet food indoors, and secure their trash cans to avoid any potentially dangerous run-ins with the animals.

Users on social media chimed in on the video over the weekend, expressing their awe and astonishment over the close encounter

‘Cool dude!! Leave him alone and he’ll do the same..learn to live in harmony with our wildlife,’ wrote one person

The sighting in Arcadia comes just weeks after residents of Sierra Madre complained by the uptick in bear-related incidents.

Videos shared online document encounters including instances of bears breaking into local homes and roaming city streets unencumbered.

In one of the most recent attacks, a homeowner and his dog were hurt by a mother bear who was with her cub. The extent of their injuries has not been released, but fish and wildlife crews were forced to tranquilize the animals.

‘It’s more than a nuisance,’ said former Sierra Madre mayor Glenn Lambdin in an interview with KTLA.

‘And it has already gone into the danger zones. I think we’re sitting on a time bomb that’s going to explode and we don’t know when,’ Lambdin said.

City residents say they have been raising red flags for years and are becoming increasingly concerned due to a spike in recent incidents.

Video posted online shows one bear working his way through snacks in a kitchen.

In that clip, the bear is seen sitting on a counter with his snout in what appears to be a bag of flour.

Bear sightings and encounters have been reported in the past including one attack on a 19-year-old in 2020 and one incident in which bears were caught on camera taking a dip in a backyard pool.

In the 2020 incident, a young woman had fallen asleep in her own backyard when a bear entered the yard and mauled her.

‘The bear really viciously started to scratch her and then started to bite into her and the only thing she could do is to grab her laptop and start hitting the bear with it. said Capt. Patrick Foy of the California Fish and Wildlife Department at the time.

This article by Hope Sloop was first published by The Daily Mail on 1 May 2023. Lead Image: A massive bear was spotted walking around a Los Angeles neighborhood Friday afternoon unencumbered on the sidewalk and in the street.

What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.