LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the first time, researchers have captured and radio-collared a bear in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles, where cougars have been studied for two decades, the Park Service said Wednesday. Nationals.
The 210-pound (95-kilogram) black bear nicknamed BB-12 was captured April 23 in a natural area south of U.S. Route 101 at the western end of the range, the park service said in a statement. .
It’s the first time in 20 years that scientists have come across a bear that has taken up residence in the mountains northwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to Jeff Sikich, a park service biologist who studies cougars.
“It appears to be the only bear here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and it has likely been here for almost two years based on our remote camera data,” Sikich said. “It will be interesting to see how it shares the landscape with our other large resident carnivores.”
BB-12, a male about 3-4 years old, was measured, given a physical examination, and a GPS radio collar was placed around his neck.
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Researchers believe BB-12 may be the same black bear that was seen in July 2021 lumbering along a road further west in the Newbury Park area and later caught on wildlife cameras.
The closest breeding population of black bears is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the north, in the Santa Susana Mountains, authorities said.
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