California

Caught on Camera: Bear Opens Trash Can, Eats Cat Food Inside

The bear wandered into the backyard of a home on the 17000 block of Rancho Avenue in Devore around 11 p.m. Tuesday.

A hungry bear wandered into the backyard of a San Bernardino County home and was caught on camera removing the lid to a trash can to get access to the contents inside Tuesday night. Jacob Rascon reports for the NBC4 News at Noon on Wednesday, July 9, 2014.

A hungry bear wandered into the backyard of a San Bernardino County home and was caught on camera removing the lid to a trash can to get access to the contents inside

The large black bear, nicknamed Hobo by local residents, wandered into the backyard of a home on the 17000 block of Rancho Avenue in Devore around 11 p.m. Tuesday night.

The bear roamed around the backyard in a "calm manner" and later knocked down a trash can filled with cat food inside. The bear then began eating the cat food.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to the home, but because the bear was not posing a threat, they told the family to just stay inside the home.

No injuries were reported.

This isn't the first time Hobo the bear has been seen in the neighborhood. Residents said the bear has been paying visits every few days since mid-June.

On Friday, the bear was caught on video climbing a 6-foot fence and walking up to someone's living room window.  

The Larson family, whose backyard the bear visited Tuesday night, and other neighbors said though Hobo's visits are frequent, this is the first bear they have seen in the area.

California's black bear population is at about 25,000 to 30,000, with most living in mountain areas above 3,000 feet, according to what the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife calls conservative estimates.  In 1982, the statewide bear population was estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000.

Less than 10 percent of the state's black bear population lives in the central western and southwestern California region, according to agency estimates. About half of the population resides in an area north and west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Jacob Rascon contributed to this report.

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