The Santa Monica Mountains have a new mama bear, and she’s now roaming the Topanga Canyon area with her three cubs. It’s the first family of bears in these mountains in at least a quarter-century.
Her name is Yellow 2291, and you may remember her from last year when she made a remarkable 100-mile journey that began in the Angeles National Forest. From there, she wandered along the outskirts of the Los Angeles metro area, crossing four major freeways, eventually finding herself on the coast near Malibu. Along the way, she passed through Monrovia, Tujunga, the Santa Clarita Valley, Sylmar, Chatsworth (where she found herself stuck in a tree…awkward!), and Agoura Hills before eventually heading to the coast.
Get to Know Yellow 2291
Bear #2291 is a 4-6 year old adult female weighing approximately 175 lbs. Her namesake yellow collar provides updates on her location whenever there is clear line of site to satellites, so biologists know where she has been. These special collars are designed to avoid any potential harm to the animal. Yellow 2291 has made at least two long-distance journeys, both from east of Pasadena to the Santa Monica Mountains, both times crossing multiple freeways.
Her collar and ear tags originated from her first capture in Claremont in 2024. She was moved to the Angeles National Forest, but was captured again in the Chatsworth area just a short time later. Again, she was transported to the Angeles National Forest, but one month later, she was seen in Topanga and Malibu. This is a classic example of “homing,” a phenomenon where bears that are captured and relocated return to their territory, even from long distances.
Be Bear Aware
While mama bear and cubs may appear friend-like and cuddle-worthy, give them space. If you encounter these or other bears in the wild, stay calm and quiet and slowly back away. Most bears don’t want to attack, they just want to be left alone. But be especially cautious if you see a female with cubs. Never place yourself between a bear and her cubs, and never attempt to approach them.
Getting Along With Your New Neighbors
With a bear as your neighbor, here are some easy steps you can take to increase this bear family’s chances of survival and avoid conflicts that often result in a bear being euthanized:
- Store food and trash in secure areas, and consider bear-proof trash cannisters
- Don’t leave pet food (or pets!) out at night
- Install electric fencing around chicken coops
- Pick ripe fruit off trees, and promptly remove any fallen fruit
- Do not feed bears—they are experts at finding food and water in the wild and we don’t want them to become reliant on human sources
- Drive carefully through bear habitat
Bears are very intelligent and inquisitive creatures. Their sense of smell is one hundred times better than ours. It’s up to each of us to practice good stewardship habits by always securing food, trash, and other scented items. These steps will help ensure we keep bears wild.
Report bear sightings to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife so that they can help keep these bears safe.
We’re sending our best wishes to this new family of Ursus americanus californiensis. May they continue to survive and thrive in the Santa Monica Mountains.