California Man Finds Bear Living Under His House

A California man is not happy about sharing his home with a large, uninvited tenant. In April, Altadena resident Kenneth Johnson of Altadena noticed damage around his crawl space. By June, he set up a camera. He tells NBC Los Angeles that for months, he didn't detect anything notable apart from a large bear that occasionally wandered by. Last week, however, he discovered the bear was living under his home. "I don't know how it got under there. It must be a contortionist," he tells the Los Angeles Times. "This thing is so big its stomach touches the ground."

"It's uncomfortable walking into the kitchen thinking there's a bear over there," Johnson says. "I don't think he's any harm to me as long as I don't go down the side of the house while he's coming out." The bear didn't seem aggressive, but did roar at Johnson on Friday, leaving him "shaking like a leaf for half an hour." Video of the bear squeezing out of the crawlspace shows it has a yellow tag on one ear. Johnson says he plans to name the bear Ursa or Barry, depending on its sex. He says camera footage shows that the bear leaves the house during the day, probably to forage for food, and returns at night.

Johnson tells KTLA that he has tried to contact California Fish and Wildlife but is only getting a holiday closure message. "I don't need a bear for Christmas," he says. "I want to get rid of the bear for Christmas." The devastating January wildfires displaced wildlife as well as people. In February, Pasadena residents who had evacuated found a 500-pound bear under their home, the Times reports. "We're used to seeing wildlife in Altadena," Johnson says. "But it's changed because of drought and fire."