Residents Spot Bears in Eastern Ventura County

In eastern Ventura County, authorities have been getting numerous calls about bear sightings, and callers said they spotted a bear Tuesday morning near Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks.

Shortly after 10 a.m., a caller alerted the Sheriff’s Department that a bear was in the open space between the high school and a condo complex northwest of campus, Capt. Ron Nelson said.

About an hour later, the bear apparently moved to a wooded area near Via Merida, close to a student parking lot on the high school’s northeast edge, a second caller said.

“Of course, by the time the deputies get out there, the bear has moved on,” Nelson said.

Lt. Martin Wall of the California Department of Fish and Game said game wardens have received calls of bear sightings daily since Saturday, but they had not been able to visually confirm the sightings on Monday and Tuesday.

Residents in Oak Park saw a bear on Saturday at approximately 6:45 p.m. and videotaped it. More sightings occurred in Oak Park on Sunday and Monday. But by Tuesday, calls were coming in from Thousand Oaks. Authorities said they were unsure if one or two bears were in the area.

In late April, a bear found roaming eastern Thousand Oaks was tranquilized, tagged and returned to the wild.

Wall said this is the time of year when adolescent bears, those born in December 2004 and January 2005, are being set free by their mothers, who are now concentrating on their younger cubs.

“The young bears have to find a territory of their own. They may have to search far and wide to find it,” Wall said.

Homeowners should never attempt to feed wildlife and should “bear-proof” their property by keeping trash cans covered, cleaning barbecue grills to remove aromatic shards of meat and grease, and picking up spoiled fruit from the base of trees, authorities say.

To report a wild animal sighting, call Fish and Game’s 24-hour tip line at (951) 782-4353.