Man who moved into bear country demands bear respect zoning laws
A man moved near the wilderness and is furious that the wilderness wants his house.
An Altadena homeowner is reportedly considering legal action over a bear that refuses to leave their property. That sentence contains every clue you need about how this is going to go. According to KTLA, the bear has been wandering onto the property, lounging, and generally behaving like a bear in the foothills of Southern California, which is a place bears are known to live.
Now, Johnson says he plans to sue, accusing the department of negligence and emotional distress.
“This has gone on long enough, and it’s something that they should deal with. It’s a tagged bear. They’ve dealt with it before. They chose not to euthanize it, and now it’s back and it’s just going to keep on doing this,” Johnson said.
KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl says the department has a duty to protect homeowners when there’s a public safety threat, and Johnson may have grounds to take this to court.
“This homeowner certainly can prove that this bear is causing damage and is a threat to his safety,” Triessl said.
The homeowner says the animal has damaged property and created an ongoing nuisance, and appears to believe there is a legal mechanism for telling a wild bear to vacate the premises. Wildlife officials, meanwhile, attempted to relocate the bear and failed. They should also, perhaps, try explaining that bears do not recognize property lines, restraining orders, or strongly worded letters from attorneys. This is not a case of a rogue animal invading civilization. It is a case of civilization sprawling directly into bear territory and, after destructive fires and depletion of natural habitat, acting surprised when the bears don’t join the HOA.
Does the bear have legal representation?
If I had a bear in my backyard, I'd keep the window shades open 24 / 7. And I'd sit in front of a window watching the bear all the freakin' time. And I'd name him/her Teddy.