A black mother bear, known by wildlife officials in Southern California as Yellow 2291, has recently made her home with her three cubs in the mountains near Topanga homeowners. That same bear, because she has been trapped and released in the past, is also identified as BB14; she has two male cubs and one female. A GPS collar has carefully followed her path, and yes, this bear loves to travel.
The 175-pound bear’s journey has been described as unbelievable. It began in the Los Angeles National Forest in May 2024. She headed south into Azusa and then made several stops from Monrovia and Sierra Madre northwards toward Topanga and then into the Santa Clarita Valley.
Her journey wasn’t over yet, She headed southward around the Santa Monica area stopping for a rest at the beach and then a return trip to home. Yellow 2291 hiked at least 100 miles.
Just recently, Yellow 2291, estimated to be between five and seven years of age, brought with her three cubs, and they are recorded to be the first black bear family to make themselves at home in the Santa Monica Mountains in years.
Neighbors have expressed concern, and questions the possibilities of the bears winding up on someone’s porch or in their backyards. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife information officer Peter Tira issued a cautionary memo to the residents:
Now it’s largely up to residents and visitors to keep these bears from accessing human-sourced food and garbage so that they can thrive in the wild.
Most neighbors are getting used to the family and have been securing their trash better as well as making sure there is no food being left for the bears to eat and thus trespass too close to area residents. Yellow 2291 is a mom and is just raising her cubs; let’s be kind and help them by being kind.
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