By Mary O’KEEFE

Briggs Terrace residents had a visitor last weekend that liked the area so much it didn’t want to leave.
On Friday afternoon a resident found a bear lounging on her patio deck. The bruin then took a stroll around her yard.

According to residents, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station was contacted and deputies tried to herd the bear back into the wash and toward its  presumed home in the Angeles National Forest; however, the bear had other ideas. It jumped fences instead, going from home to home until it finally found its way back into the forest.

The sheriffs were again called to the Briggs Terrace area on Tuesday night because of a visit by perhaps the same bear or maybe another one. Eventually, it founds its way back into the forest as well.

The California Fish and Wildlife suggest Keep Me Wild:

Stash Your Food and Trash
Bears and other animals are attracted to anything edible or smelly.

• Store garbage in bear-proof containers, or store garbage in your garage until pick-up.

• Keep food indoors or in airtight and odor-free containers.

• Put away picnic leftovers; clean BBQ grills.

• Keep pet food inside, and bird feeders away.

• Pick up fallen tree fruit as soon as possible, or protect fruit trees with electric fencing.

• Remove cosmetic fragrances and other attractants, including bird feeders and compost piles.

• Install or request bear-proof trash containers.

Bear Country Precautions
• Keep a close watch on children, and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear.

• While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear.

• Never keep food in your tent.

• Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle.

• Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage immediately after meals.

• Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your garbage in a secure location with your food.

• Never approach a bear or pick up a bear cub.

• If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear as large as possible.

• If attacked, fight back.

• If a bear attacks a person, immediately call 911.

When wild animals are allowed to feed on human food and garbage, they lose their natural ways – often resulting in death for the animal.

  Mary Okeefe