A mother black bear and her two cubs have been caught on camera roaming Hood Mountain Regional Park in Sonoma County, California, marking the first confirmed sighting of bear reproduction in the area in nearly ten years. The footage, quietly recorded by a trail camera on 22 December 2024, offers a rare glimpse into a natural return that’s been long in the making.
The video — shared by Sonoma County Regional Parks and reported by The Press Democrat — shows the young bears, thought to be around a year old, moving closely alongside their mother in the early morning light. Until now, wildlife officials had logged occasional sightings of individual bears, but never proof of cubs. For researchers and conservationists, it’s a small but powerful confirmation that black bears are not just passing through — they’re settling in.
Natural Return After Long Absence
Black bears (Ursus americanus) once roamed widely across California, but habitat loss and human encroachment gradually pushed them out of regions like Sonoma County. For nearly a decade, park staff and researchers suspected that bears were beginning to recolonize the 3,600-acre Hood Mountain Preserve, but lacked definitive evidence.
“We’ve been tracking individual bears for years,” said Sheila Murphy, a Wildlife Management Technician with Sonoma County. “But seeing cubs — that tells us something entirely different. It means the park isn’t just a stopover. It’s home.”
The return appears to be part of a natural range expansion. According to Murphy, the bears are likely dispersing from nearby Mendocino, Lake and Napa counties, in search of new food sources, breeding grounds, and safer habitats. Black bears require large territories — often between 15 and 80 square miles — with access to water, shelter and reliable food. Their presence signals that at least some areas in Sonoma County are now ecologically stable enough to support apex predators again.
Quiet Cameras, Loud Discovery
The breakthrough came thanks to trail cameras, an increasingly indispensable tool in wildlife monitoring. These motion-sensitive devices, hidden along animal paths, allow scientists to document elusive species without disturbing their behaviour — particularly useful for nocturnal or shy mammals like black bears.
Footage like this is more than a curiosity. It validates targeted conservation efforts and helps authorities make data-driven decisions. As explained by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, trail cameras are now standard practice for monitoring threatened or returning species in the western United States.
And this discovery has already prompted action. Local authorities are accelerating plans to make the park system bear-resistant. The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, backed by state grants, is installing wildlife-proof food lockers, dumpsters and trash cans across popular trails and campsites. Each container costs roughly $2,000, and donations are being accepted via sonomacountyparksfoundation.org.
“Bear-proof infrastructure is a top priority,” said Melissa Kelley, Executive Director of the foundation. “These animals are back, and we need to be ready for long-term coexistence.”
Coexisting in Bear Country
The rise in bear presence isn’t without its complications. As these predators reclaim lost territory, the potential for human-bear encounters increases — particularly in areas where tourism, recreation and suburban development intersect with wildlife corridors.
This screenshot from a trail camera video shows black bear cubs following their mother through Hood Mountain Regional Park in Santa Rosa. It is the first video evidence of black bear cubs in the park in the nine years since officials began tracking bear activity there. (Sonoma County Regional Parks)
Murphy and her team are part of the North Bay Bear Collaborative, a multi-agency initiative dedicated to educating the public on how to safely live and recreate in areas where bears are returning. Their guidelines, outlined at beingwithbears.org, stress prevention over reaction: securing garbage, removing outdoor pet food, and storing all scented items — including toothpaste — in bear-proof containers.
If a bear is encountered in the wild, officials recommend speaking calmly, avoiding eye contact, and slowly backing away. In campgrounds or car parks, more assertive deterrence — banging pots, shouting or using air horns — may be needed to reinforce boundaries.
“It’s about keeping both people and animals safe,” said Murphy. “A bear that gets too comfortable around humans becomes a risk — not just to us, but to itself.”
What This Means for California’s Wild Spaces
The reappearance of cubs in Hood Mountain is not an isolated event, but part of a larger ecological trend. Across North America, black bears are gradually reclaiming territory lost over the past century, thanks to reforestation, wildlife corridors, and changes in land use.
A 2022 study from UC Davis found that black bear populations in California had grown significantly over the previous two decades, driven in part by expanded protections and improved habitat connectivity. Still, researchers caution that future growth depends on how well human communities adapt.
For now, the cubs captured on camera are likely to leave their mother in the coming months, continuing their own search for new ground. And while the moment may feel fleeting, it’s a lasting signal that California’s wild spaces — when left undisturbed — are ready to welcome back old inhabitants.