‘Boom, he’s out’: bear living ‘rent-free’ under California home has been removed

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Abené ClaytonJanuary 9, 2026 at 10:31 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

A 550lb black bear was removed from under a southern California home in Altadena after residing there for over a month. Resident Ken Johnson contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) after discovering the bear in late November, but initial trapping attempts were unsuccessful. The bear, tagged as number 2120, had previously been relocated from another home in the area following the Eaton wildfire. After Johnson threatened to sue the DFW, the Bear League, a non-profit organization, intervened, using paintball guns to drive the bear out. The bear attempted to return two days later but was deterred by an electrified mat placed over the crawl space entrance. Johnson has since discovered a ruptured gas line caused by the bear.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Lake Tahoe 30% Angeles National Forest 40% Orange County Register 40% Bear League 50% Eaton wildfire 50% KTLA ×460% Altadena ×260% California ×260% California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) ×370% Ken Johnson ×780%

Keywords

black bear 100% bear removal 80% wildlife 70% california 60% homeowner 60% paintball gun 50% electrified mat 50% crawl space 50% nuisance wildlife 40% wildfire 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Score: 0.10

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Altadena

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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black bear bear removal wildlife california homeowner paintball gun electrified mat crawl space nuisance wildlife wildfire

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