Black bear caught on camera roaming Montecito neighborhood

MONTECITO, Calif. - Yet another black bear has made an appearance in southern Santa Barbara County.

This large bear was caught on camera roaming through Montecito Thursday night.

The bear even broke into a resident's chicken coop where it proceeded to kill eight of the birds.

“I would like to co-exist with the bear, but not have him eat our chickens. We are trying to do some aversive therapy,” said resident Penellpe Bianchi.

Bianchi said her property sits right next to a local wildlife sanctuary. She said the bear has been spotted before at properties near Miramar Beach.

Several residents also caught a bear on their security cameras wandering through their yards and sheriff's deputies believe this is the same one.

The residents said they have now begun installing sensor alarms and bear-proofing their trashcans in an effort to keep the animal from frequenting their property.

They believe the bear has recently come out of hibernation and is very hungry.

Neighbors plan to hold a meeting soon in order to discuss how best to deal with the bear.

Fortunately, there have not been any accounts of aggression from the bear towards people. It has only been seen attacking small prey.

The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife explained, "If you encounter a bear in your yard, chances are it will move on if there is nothing for the bear to forage. If there is enough distance between you and the bear, you can encourage the bear to leave by using noisemakers or blowing a whistle."

This is at least the third black bear caught on camera in the south county region this year.

The most recent bear reported to us was found in the Carpinteria area on Highway 192 at the end of April. Another one was spotted just days before by a family of hikers returning from Lizard's Mouth on West Camino Cielo.

If you happen to catch a bear or any other wildlife on camera, please send us pictures and video through the 'Share' function on our website.