The Department of Fish and Wildlife expert explains the technology that was used to track a bear that went rogue in a Chatsworth neighborhood earlier this week. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on July 4, 2024.
In many ways, it was a typical Southern California sight that played out this week when yet another black bear wandered into an area too close for comfort.
However, the unusual thing about the sighting in Chatsworth was the location itself, far from where most bear sightings most often happen in the San Gabriel Valley foothills.
“So for her in particular, we were able to see and confirm that, Oh, yes! That is the bear that is being seen in Chatsworth,” said Jessica West, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “And yes, she is in a location where she does not have immediate access back to suitable habitat.”
West spoke with NBC4 to explain more about how the agency tracks bears across the state, beginning with that first interaction.
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In the case of this particular female bear, known to the agency as Yellow 2291, that first interaction came in late May, when she wandered into a wildlife trap about 60 miles away in Claremont.
West said Yellow 2291 was tagged, checked for any health issues and ultimately given a GPS collar.
“She actually has had some of the most interesting collar data that we've ever seen,” said West. “She's just wandering. It might be a little more typical to see that with a male bear, just because being male, they do tend to have, you know, bigger home ranges."
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After being released, in just over a month’s time, Yellow 2291 has proven to be fast and furry-ous, making her way from Claremont west across the 210 corridor, crossing the 5 and 14 Freeway and down the 118 corridor to the Simi Hills.
West said the bear made it all the way to Malibu before heading back north to the San Fernando Valley, where she was captured again this week and released into the wild.
“This bear has, again, had some of the craziest movement,” West explained, adding that bears have incredible homing skills and was likely trying to make its way back to a more familiar area. “We just sort of were watching her and, you know, saying, okay, it looks like she was already heading towards back towards Angeles National Forest. Let's just basically assist her and get her there a little faster.”
That’s where she was released this week and will continue to be tracked.
The battery life of adult bear GPS collars can last anywhere from 1-2 years. The collars weigh no more than 3-5 percent of an animal’s body weight.
“We’re always considering that when we place collars, making sure it's not too tight, making sure it's not too heavy,” West said.
As for why Yellow 2291 decided to traverse so much of LA County, experts say it’s unclear, but they hope their research will one day give them a clearer answer.
“They’re still a mystery to us in so many ways,” West said. “Yeah, she's a really cool bear.”
