Bear wandering in Chatsworth captured after 2 tranquilizer darts

A bear spotted in a tree after roaming around an industrial neighborhood in Chatsworth was captured by wildlife experts.

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On early Tuesday morning, the bear was seen hanging out in the trees. It happened in the parking lot of an industrial park off De Soto Av. and Lassen St.

KNX News’ Jon Baird reported a crowd gathered to look at the bear. Crystal from Canoga Park said she first spotted the bear around 11 p.m. Monday.

“He was hiding by the warehouses right here in the back and then he came out, I want to say like around 1 (a.m.) and he was hopping fences through Enterprise,” she said. “He crossed the street and that's the video that I got and then he made his way here.”

The bear came down from the tree just before 7 a.m. and wandered off. It tried to get out of the gated industrial park, then gave up and climbed into another tree.

It took two tranquilizer darts, but the bear finally tumbled from the tree and was captured by wildlife officials just before 11:30 a.m. It's being taken back to its natural habitat.

Tim Daly, the information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told L.A.’s Morning News’ Mike Simpson and Vicky Moore that wildlife officials are on their way to get the bear. He said officials have been following the bear’s activities for a few months.

“This is a bear that was captured in the Claremont area way back in late May,” he said. “ We collared that bear, made sure it had tags. We released that bear in the Angeles National Forest and then it got very busy since then, traveling pretty much along the 210 Corridor, all the way to the Malibu area over days and weeks. And now appears to be sort of maybe doing a U-turn and heading back to the area it came from.”

He added that officials did put out a trap in the North Ridge area on Monday but that it was unsuccessful.

The female bear is believed to be 3-to-5 years old.

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