A San Gabriel Valley family discovered that a late-night visitor had made its way into their Claremont home and helped themselves to a midnight snack Thursday morning., before leaving on its own, according to the homeowner.<\/p>\n
The California black bear entered the home around 4 a.m., homeowner Anju Kapoor told NBC Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
The night before the incident, Kapoor’s husband had opened a vent in the house to clear out a smell from cooking. The bear later found a way inside, she said.<\/p>\n
Pictures provided by the Kapoor family show a torn window screen, the possible entrance for the fuzzy intruder.<\/p>\n
The family was asleep while the animal was inside. When they woke up later that morning, the bear had already left, but they discovered a mess on the floor and realized their snacks had been eaten.<\/p>\n
Security video shows the bear in the kitchen eating what appeared to be a midnight snack. The images provided by the family show dishes all over the kitchen floor and a trail of pistachios outside the home.<\/p>\n
Kapoor said she later found a large piece of stool outside the home and assumed it may have been left by an animal.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
In December of 2025, a 550-pound black bear moved into the crawlspace of an Altadena home<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Department of California Fish and Wildlife said those who live in the foothill areas should remove anything attractive to bears, such as pet food and remnants of food on a grill.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey are omnivores and will consume nearly anything, including seeds, plants, berries, other animals, pet food, human food, and trash,\u201d states the agency\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the Department of California Fish and Wildlife, a bear\u2019s sense of smell is 100 times more powerful and about seven times stronger than that of a bloodhound.<\/p>\n Here are some tips experts recommend if you encounter a bear in a building or nearby:<\/p>\n Give it space and not corner it<\/p>\n Leave any doors open as you back away<\/p>\n Do not lock the bear in a room<\/p>\n If the bear is in your yard:<\/p>\n Make loud noises, shout, or bang pots and pans to scare it away<\/p>\n Remove potential attractants like garbage, bird seeds, or pet food once the bear leaves<\/p>\n Ask neighbors to remove attractants<\/p>\n Check your yard for bears before letting your dog out<\/p>\n