Bear roams Granada Hills neighborhood, cools off in pool
GRANADA HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A bear was spotted roaming a Granada Hills neighborhood before it went for a dip in a pool Tuesday.
Los Angeles police officers at the Devonshire Station received a call about a bear sighting at around 10:30 a.m.
The 3 to 5-year-old black bear, believed to weigh between 250 and 300 pounds, was seen near Timberidge Lane and Whistler Avenue.
Police said its helicopter overhead may have caused the bear to go back into the woods, but the animal was later spotted under the shade of a tree near some homes.
The bear then made its way to a nearby pool and took a dip. It then roamed around the neighborhood for a while before being hit by a tranquilizer dart by animal control officials.
Authorities took the tranquilized animal back to the wilderness in the Angeles National Forest.
The animal, which had an ear tag with the number 493, was not deemed aggressive. They believe the bear was just seeking some relief from the heat.
Officials said the same bear was tranquilized two years ago in the Sylmar area and returned to the wild.
"This bear has been in the area before. It knows, kind of, the drill," said Max Magleby, a wildlife officer. "As long as people aren't getting in its way and not messing with it, it's going to stay fairly calm."
