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Altadenan is not an animal witness – there are plenty of peacocks and parrots around the town, but recently news about coyotes and black bears strolling around the town speaks of locals.
First introduced to the public via clips posted to social media by Altadena Sheriff’s Station, the duo were spotted together multiple times and patrol Foothill Street, which was largely left behind by the Eaton Fire in January, munching on trash.
It’s amazing to observe bears and coyotes together while you see them not unusual in Lartadena, says Andrew Garza, assistant bishop of La County Sheriff. “They were just walking around a bit and strolling together, and that was really interesting,” he says. “Because of the fire, both animals have lost their natural habitat, so they are looking for water and food here, but after seeing them together they are trying to check out the neighborhood by drawing pictures of them being two friends.”
Altadena resident Raimy Rosenduft says he caught the pair on his front door camera about a week later (experts believe it is the same couple). In her clips, the bear and coyote appear to be enjoying the loot of spilled trash cans.
Wildlife experts say it’s understandable that viewers might look at the clip and think, “Check out this cute, furry pair of best friends,” but they quickly see that what’s going on between the two species appears to show more infiltration than love.
“You can humanize dogs and cats, but I think that’s stretch,” says Steve Searles, a wildlife expert and author whose animal planets were once called “Bear Whisperer.” “If you think that these animals love you as much as they love you and each other, the way you love them is not based on reality or fact. I don’t want anyone’s bubble to burst, but it’s the idea that killed someone, or one of the more likely animals.”
There’s less sentimental explanation in the team-up, Searles said. While working as a wildlife officer at Mammoth Lake in the 1990s, Searles says he often saw coyotes sleeping outside the bear’s nest. (Coyotes have also been found alongside Burbank bears, but in seemingly unfriendly situations, they are among the rest of the places.) “They seemed to have been waiting for the bears to wake up and go to work. Bears are usually considered as apex predators, but he says the only wild bears remaining in California are the only wild bears remaining in California, feeding on far more grass, tubers, roots and berries than meat. Coyotes, on the other hand, are opportunistic eaters and chasing those across their paths. Following the bear, they defeat trash cans and lick discarded jars of peanut butter, which may neglect chicken bones, but can be a victory for small animals.
Sals says he doesn’t pay much attention to coyotes unless the black bear has a cub or is trying to mate. “Everyone is used to watching the Grizzlies on TV and watching them catch salmon from the sky at the top of a waterfall, but Black Bears are one of the lazy animals on the planet,” he explains. “They just want to roam your lawn and eat grass, daisies, or other non-indigenous plants. It’s just easy. They don’t want to run anything if they can help with it.”
Bear ecologist Chris Morgan does not use the term “lazy” to describe black bears, but he says he would call them efficiently. “Like all bears, they’re coming out for the largest calories for the least effort.”
Even if the pairing is a “badianimal film” and a more biological order, it doesn’t mean that the veteran wildlife observer hasn’t found anything interesting in the footage.
Eric Strauss, executive director of Loyola Melly Mount Urban Resilience Centre, says his group has extensively studied coyotes in urban settings. Still, he says he has never seen a coyote with a bear. “I’m an old scientist, but that doesn’t stop this kind of thing from being fun,” Strauss says. “You may think we understand everything, but the beauty of science is that you have to prepare to be amazed.”
Observing the pair may help scientists understand more about how animals react to trauma, like the Eton fire, which destroyed both homes and wildlife habitats. “Just as fire is traumatic to humans, fire is traumatic to social animals,” Strauss says. “Many of these social animals, like coyotes, are probably shocked to some extent, losing their partners or offspring. Most social animals can experience all the emotions that humans do. They don’t necessarily make the same appearance, but they may form a bond between us.
In Altadena, where the bear mural is already pointing out local stores before the fire, such connections can feel special. Gregman, who has lived in Altadena for about 30 years and posted a bear sighting on his local Reddit page, says that when he returned to his home in the Canyoncrest area earlier this spring, he felt abandoned not only by people but also by animals.
“It was all very quiet. There weren’t many people coming back, so the night went black,” he says. “We didn’t see any signs of wildlife [my wife and I] I was really worried because the fire moved so fast, so I didn’t know how all the animals were carrying them. But then we started taking deer into our garden and other animals again. And every time a new animal arrives, it feels so hopeful. Little by little, it feels like things are returning to the way they should be. ”
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