Dead bear removed after nearly 24 hours on lawn in Monrovia

MONROVIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A dead bear spent nearly 24 hours on a lawn in Monrovia, shocking some residents in the area, before it was finally picked up.

A woman says she found the bear outside her home around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. At first, she thought someone was trying to break in.

"I went downstairs, opened the door and, lo and behold, there was a huge bear just lying there, breathing (heavily.) I thought it was in labor," said Yvette. "I went upstairs, called my friend - she couldn't believe it."

She then called the police but the animal was already dead.

According to the Monrovia Police Department, the bear was finally picked up around 7 p.m. Sunday. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) would not pick up the bear until Monday so the Pasadena Humane Society took up the task, even though they don't deal with bears.

It's unclear what the bear died from, but wildlife officials said it's possible it could be the same bear that was reportedly hit by a car in the area over the weekend.

The CDFW says the bear was not tagged, so there's no information on its gender or where it had traveled.

In light of a "fair amount" of recent bear activity in the area, CDFW officials are asking residents to take steps to discourage the wildlife from entering communities. That includes securing trash cans, not leaving pet food outside, cleaning grills and picking up any fallen fruit.