Bear rummages through trash cans at hillside home
Kari Lindman is used to seeing deer and raccoons — bobcats, even — near her Glendale hillside home.
But Sunday morning, an unexpected visitor made itself quite comfortable in her backyard, spending half an hour tipping over and rummaging through her trash cans, munching on leftover slices of pizza from a party the night before.
Around 10:15 a.m., a neighbor texted her to alert her of the black bear in their neighborhood, which she discovered had scaled her 6-foot fence to get in her yard.
Police were already outside her home, as the first sighting was about a half hour earlier.
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Lindman, along with her husband and three daughters, huddled in the doorway of the rear slider, snapping photos as the bear bounced between trash cans.
They called her “Blondie” because of her lighter fur, but thought later “Pizza” might be a more fitting name.
“(She) ate several pieces of pizza, lots of different morsels of bread, desserts and chips,” Lindman said. “(She) was in every trash can.”
Game wardens are familiar with the 3-year-old, 200-pound bear, which has frequented neighborhoods in Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and Pasadena in recent months. They call her “Red 2,” based on the tag placed on her ear after a May visit to Pasadena.
Last month, she was seen taking a dip in a La Canada Flintridge swimming pool. Days later, she was spotted eating a dead deer in Glendale before climbing up a tree.
“I think the world pretty much knows about ‘Red 2,’” Department of Fish and Wildlife Patrol Lt. Marty Wall, adding that she’s the only red-tagged bear in Los Angeles County. “She’s been popping up a lot.”
At one point on Sunday, the bear jumped on her hind legs while looking at the peering family, so they quickly closed the door.
Police believe two bears may have visited the Glendale neighborhood on Sunday. While just one was seen at a given time, they appeared different in size and color.
By the time game wardens arrived on Sunday, the bear had already hopped over Lindman’s fence and ran up Hillway Drive before disappearing in the mountains.
“It took a couple hours for my heart rate to go down completely,” Lindman said, adding that despite the excitement, the sighting was disconcerting. “That bear knows our backyard. This is a place where (she’s) found food. I’m going to be a little cautious going into my backyard now.”
Sunday marked Lindman’s second bear sighting in recent weeks.
About 10 days ago, she spotted one near her home before the bear quickly ran away.
Lindman said she hopes the city can eventually provide bear-proof trash cans, but for now, she said, she’s keeping her trash cans locked in her garage.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
