On Thursday, residents gathered around to catch a glimpse of the adult black bear that made it's way into a Los Osos residential community.
Resident Stephanie Rossetti, who lives close to where the bear was located, said that on her walk around the neighborhood she was surprised to see so many people gathered on Pasadena Street. She said she "came back around and everyone (had) their binoculars." She thought they were observing a bird, but to her surprise when she was watching the news later on, it was a sub-adult black bear.
Bridget O'Leary says "it was exciting" and that she has only ever seen bears in a zoo so "it was nice to see one in the wild."
According to California Fish and Wildlife, it is not uncommon to see bears in the area. California Fish and Wildlife Lieutenant Matt Gil says the bear "might have been pushed out looking for food. It is not uncommon to have a bear that close to the ocean. It could be foraging for food nearby."
Gil says the bear most likely made its way to the neighborhood from across the back bay of Los Osos where it came onshore and made its way up an oak tree on Pasadena Drive. Fish and Wildlife darted the bear and after having medical experts examine it and clear it for injuries from it's day long adventure, they were able to safely relocate it to the Los Padres National Forrest.
He says that, "If you see a bear, we tell you to back away slowly. Do not run away and if you have a car nearby, set off your car alarm. That most likely will scare it, and just let the bear be on it's way."
Wildlife officials say the bear woke up as soon as they got to the forest and they were unable to tag it for tracking purposes. California Fish and Wildlife also says to call their department if you encounter a bear or to let your local authorities know.
