Totally shocked when he saw a 300-pound bear walk into his kitchen Tuesday night, Jason Wightman first did what many people would do when faced with a wild animal: pull out his phone and talk to it.
“Hi, are you nice?” he said in the recording. ‘You’re in my house. Get out of my house.”
Wightman lives in Sierra Madre, a town located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and full of bears looking for food after hibernation.
“I don’t even remember what I said,” Wightman said. “It happened so quickly. There was a bear in my kitchen.”
Last year, Sierra Madre recorded more than 370 bear sightings, with 70 wild animals entering people’s homes. By mid-2024, residents have reported more than 100 bear sightings, three of which ended up in homes, according to Deputy City Manager Laura Aguilar. She thinks the numbers have dropped because the city installed bear-proof trash cans and implemented a ban on feeding wild animals.
However, the municipality fears that the progress made is at risk. In 2021, the state legislature approved one-time funding to send four human-wildlife conflict specialists to the area. Funding for three of the positions is in danger of running out.
“That would only harm Sierra Madre and all the neighborhoods in the neighboring cities,” Aguilar said.
The specialists are responsible for creating reports and following up on wildlife encounters, as well as outreach and education. Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Tim Daly said these duties will not go away.
“There are still many personnel at Fish and Wildlife who will deal with these situations, especially if there is an emergency or safety issue,” he said. “We still have people doing a lot of this work.”
The bear walked out of Wightman’s kitchen and into the backyard, where a second bear was waiting. Both climbed over a wall and disappeared.
“They’re cute animals, but they don’t have a cute personality,” Wightman said. “Their character can change in an instant.”
Just this week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to issue a joint call for state officials to develop a regional plan to ensure adequate staffing for public wildlife encounters.
Fish and Wildlife encourages anyone who encounters bears and other wildlife to report it on their website.
