ENCINO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A well-known mama bear and her cubs were spotted lounging in a tree in the backyard of a home in an Encino neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon.
The bears were first spotted behind a home in the 16000 block of Ashley Oaks, just south of Ventura Boulevard and near the Encino Reservoir and the Santa Monica Mountain Range, shortly after 12:30 p.m.
The neighbors who spoke to Eyewitness News didn’t seem to be scared, but they were concerned with the bears still in the area. At last check, the bears had gotten out of the trees and were roaming on the hillside.
AIR7 flew over the area throughout the day on Wednesday, getting images of the group of bears. There appeared to be at least three of them nestled in the trees.
The neighbors say the biggest bear of the bunch had a tag on its ear and a collar around its neck. Although neighbors only saw three bears, authorities say the mama has a third cub.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the larger bear is sow Yellow 2291/BB14, and the others are her cubs. Cort Klopping with CDFW said the first sighting of them in that particular area was on Tuesday. The department monitors the family through public reporting and GPS data.
Their den is under a rocky area near the Palisades Fire burn scar, but thankfully, it wasn’t affected by the fire.
Yellow 2291, also known as BB14, is a female black bear estimated to be between four and six years old. She weighed about 175 pounds at her first capture in May 2024, CDFW said. She has been relocated by CDFW twice to remote areas within Angeles National Forest, but has shown strong homing behavior, traveling extensively across major freeways and into the Santa Monica Mountains. Her three cubs, two males and one female, were first spotted in March 2025 near Topanga Canyon.
The department believes the cubs were born in mid-January 2025.
“The draw is, these bears smell something that they find yummy, and they want to get something to eat. Bears have super powerful noses, they can smell for five miles,” Klopping said. “As far as I know, this is the first reported sighting of a bear this far west. This is a bear that’s been very closely monitored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife scientists.”
The people who live in the home say their handman was working on their tennis court when he noticed the bears. That’s when they contacted authorities.
“Oh my god! I actually, my jaw was on the floor. I was fermisht. It ruined my whole mahjong game,” said neighbor Dr. Jessica Frank. “My father called and said, ‘There’s a bear at the house.’ And everybody just went about their business as though it was no big deal. And I was like, this is a huge, massive, 500-pound deal.”
Police were at the scene to shut down a portion of the street until authorities can arrive and determine how to handle the situation.
Until then, the bears have created a spectacle in the neighborhood.
Klopping said the best course of action for neighbors is to allow the family space and time so they can safely return to their nearby suitable habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains, less than three-quarters of a mile away from the Encino neighborhood. Currently, there is no plan to relocate the bear family. CDFW said it avoids interfering unless a bear is trapped without an escape to open habitat.
According to CDFW, to stay safe when bears make their way into populated areas, neighbors should remove attractants like pet food and garbage and clean off the grill after every use. If you ever encounter a bear, it’s best to stretch out your arms wide to make yourself look big and back away.
Bear sightings are not uncommon in Southern California’s foothill neighborhoods, but to see several bears together in a populated area is somewhat unusual.
Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.