The Santa Monica Mountains are home to some rare mountain lions, but biologists say they've discovered an even more unusual resident...a black bear.
The bear was tranquilized, given a physical, and equipped with a radio tracking collar before being re-released into the wild. The three to four year old male bear has been dubbed BB-12. They think he may be the only black bear living in the mountain range.
The nearest population of black bears is in the Santa Susana Mountains, north of the 118 Freeway. Biologists think at some point, the bear separated from the main population and headed south. They say it may be the same bear which was spotted in 2021 in Newbury Park.
Biologists say with no evidence of other bears in the Santa Monica Mountains, at some point BB-12 may cross the 101 Freeway again, and head north in an effort to find a mate. They say it will be interesting to see how he shares the mountains with other large carnivores in the region, like mountain lions.
