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When the rangers aren’t there, the cubs play, but the cubs remain confined to the school.
At least that’s what happened in La Crescenta on Tuesday, when law enforcement and wildlife officials spent the afternoon monitoring a bear cub hanging out in a tree in front of Crescenta Valley High School. could not be forced to return home.
Glendale Unified School District officials ordered the high school and nearby La Crescenta Elementary School to evacuate everyone in place as authorities determined their response. School district spokeswoman Kristin Nam said classes were held as scheduled at each campus, but students were not allowed to step outside.
Although the district issues warnings about bears and mountain lions from time to time, Nam said this is the first time she has seen a shelter-in-place order due to bears since she joined the district nine years ago.
Law enforcement reported the situation to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, but to no avail. Spokesman Steve Gonzalez lamented that his office’s bear catcher is sick and his department doesn’t have the personnel to help on the scene.
He reported Wednesday morning that the baby was no longer perched in the tree. He believed the animal was reunited with its mother overnight.
However, the child managed to cause a headache.
After being kept indoors all day, students at La Crescenta Elementary School were let out at the normally scheduled dismissal time of 2:40 p.m. Students at Crescenta Valley High School had to exit through the back door after leaving school.
Both schools have a total enrollment of approximately 2,950 students.
Nam said she received an email from her parents saying the bear was part of a group that included a mother bear and another cub seen in the area.
We understand that the community gets excited when seeing wildlife such as bear cubs near Crescenta Valley High School. This is a blessing to our amazing community. However, our priority is the safety of our community and wildlife. I have a resource to monitor. pic.twitter.com/9QKtCCWlgC
— LASD CrescentaValley (@CVLASD) November 12, 2024
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Crescenta Valley Station first received reports of a baby near Crescenta Valley High at 1 a.m. Tuesday.
Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Gonzalez said his office reported the creature to the local humane society as well as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t have any support from either side,” said Lt. Gonzalez. “We do not have the trained personnel to respond to this situation nor the equipment to handle or rehome the animal.”
Lt. Gonzalez said deputies can only respond with deadly force in life-or-death situations.
Gonzalez, of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the department sent an environmental scientist to the school to help reunite the bear with its family and eventually return home.
He confirmed that the bear was not tagged, so the department has not determined where the bear is living, but says it is likely in a nearby national forest.
“I can’t say this is a very unusual occurrence,” Fish and Wildlife officials said.
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