A black bear that was tranquilized Tuesday in the backyard of a home in the Los Angeles foothills is thought to be the same one that picked up a Twitter following after frequenting the area on trash days.
The large bear, believed to weigh several hundred pounds, was roaming some streets and yards in La Crescenta for several hours when a wildlife official happened to be in the area and sprang into action, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"The timing was real good," said California Fish and Game officer Martin Wall.
Transferring the tranquilized bear to a truck was another matter, with Wall comparing it to "moving a water bed without a frame."
Locals have seen a bear in their midst over recent weeks. One garage was raided last month, with frozen meatballs taken from a fridge.
A Twitter feed was soon set up in his honor.
Among the posts: "Why did the black bear cross the road? To get to the other trash can."
As the bear roamed early Tuesday, it was a near-death experience for resident Vaz Terdandenyan, who was texting on his cellphone when he looked up and spotted the animal in a passageway along his home, KTLA-TV reported.
"I got up this morning from helicopter noise and I was trying to see what was going on," Terdandenyan told KTLA, which captured the scare on video from a helicopter.
"I was texting my boss that I would be late for work because something is going on, and I'm coming down the stairs and I see the bear coming up the stairs toward me."
"I turned back and I ran for my life."
Plans are to return the bear into the nearby Angeles National Forest, KTLA reported.
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