A homeowner in Claremont woke up Thursday to find a bear had broken into the house and raided the kitchen, an encounter captured on the family's security camera.
Bear breaks into Claremont home while couple sleeps, video shows
"It's very interesting that it was in my kitchen, but it was more interesting than scary to me," said resident Anjur Kapoor.
Beth Pratt with the National Wildlife Federation said the region's proximity to natural habitat makes wildlife sightings common, but break-ins like this are unusual. She noted that heat and drought can push animals to search for food and water in developed areas, though she cautioned against drawing firm conclusions.
"There definitely is some research to show that our droughts and heat, and things that put stress on animals, can bring them into our areas more seeking out food and other things," Pratt said. "But it's hard to make a conclusion on what's going on here."
On Friday in Oxnard, residents reported a mountain lion perched in a tree on Ebony Drive. The big cat stayed for several hours before moving on.
The next day in Monrovia, a woman walking her dog was charged by a bear that swiped her leg. She suffered only minor injuries.
Bear claws at woman walking dog in Monrovia, leaving minor injuries
California Fish and Wildlife workers later trapped and removed the bear and her two cubs.
"We're still awaiting at the moment DNA samples to be tested, just to confirm it is the correct animal," said agency spokesperson Cort Klopping.
Pratt urged wildlife officials not to euthanize the bear, saying it appeared to be acting defensively.
"I would hope at this point that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife would not euthanize the bear and recognize this was a bear behaving normally if it felt its cubs were threatened," she said.
Klopping said the warm weather may be contributing to the uptick in sightings, but added that increased outdoor activity by both people and animals often leads to more encounters.
"We see increased animal activity when temperatures warm up," he said. "Normally that's a little bit later in the year, so when spring comes it's more comfortable to be out and about. Not only are more animals out but more people are out, so that's going to lead to more sightings."
Experts say if you encounter a bear, stay calm and do not run. Instead, back away slowly and give the animal plenty of space.
If the bear does start to approach you, make as much noise as you can to scare the bear away.