A young black bear has been fitted with a radio collar in Santa Monica Mountains NRA/NPS

A 210-pound black bear found wandering in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California has become the first bruin to be fitted with a radio collar in the park.

National Park Service biologists captured the bear in a western area of the NRA on April 23. The male bear, dubbed BB-12, is estimated to be about 3-4 years old. Biologists performed a full workup on the bear, including collecting biological samples, taking various body measurements, attaching an ear tag, conducting a physical exam, and fitting a GPS radio-collar around its neck.   

Though there have been bear sightings over the years, this is the first time biologists have captured and radio-collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains. The nearest population of black bears is in the Santa Susana Mountains, north of the 118 Freeway. Although bears have occasionally been documented in the Simi Hills, south of 118, and even in the Santa Monica Mountains, south of the 101 Freeway, there is no evidence of a breeding population in either area.  

“He appears to be the only bear here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and he’s likely been here for almost two years based on our remote camera data,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the park’s two-decade mountain lion study. “This seems to be our first resident bear in the 20 years we have conducted mountain lion research in the area. It will be interesting to see how he shares the landscape with our other resident large carnivores.”  

The bear received a full checkup before being released back into the wild/NPS

In July 2021, a young black bear was spotted lumbering along Reino Road in Newbury Park. Since then, images of a bear have been seen on wildlife trail cameras in half of the Santa Monica Mountains — from Malibu Creek State Park to the range’s western border in Point Mugu State Park. Biologists say BB-12 may be the same bear.     

Bears are omnivores and can live to an age of 25 years. They will eat whatever is available, primarily fruits, nuts, roots, and insects. They will also eat small animals, up to and including deer, if they can get them, human food (such as in cars or at campsites), pet food, unsecured trash, and consume dead animals they find.   

“As this bear gets older and is looking to mate, it might attempt to move back north and cross the freeway again,” Sikich said. “There is no evidence of an existing population here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and therefore likely no females. With the radio-collar, we can track its movements and hopefully know where it may attempt to cross the freeway. This can help us better understand habitat connectivity for wildlife in the area.”   

NPS photo

Bear sightings have been rare in the Santa Monica Mountains. In the early 2000s, a bear carcass was discovered under a landslide in Malibu Creek State Park. In 2016, a bear was documented three times over three months on wildlife trail cameras in the central portion of the mountains but then never detected again.   

Other black bears have occasionally been spotted through the years north of the 101 Freeway in the Simi Hills. Previous news reports include a bear spotted near Westlake High School in 2006 and one that was killed by a vehicle on the northbound 101 Freeway near Lindero Canyon Blvd.   

Grizzly bears formerly roamed the entire state but became extinct in the early 1900s. Black bears, however, are not native to Southern California.  

In the 1930s, about 30 bears from Yosemite National Park were translocated into the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. From there, their population grew and expanded, biologists say.   

Black bears rarely become aggressive when encountered, and attacks on people are uncommon. If you encounter a bear while hiking, keep a safe distance and slowly back away. Let the bear know you are there. Make yourself look bigger by lifting and waving your arms and making noise by yelling, clapping your hands, using noisemakers, or whistling.