Bear spotted on streets of Lompoc for second time since May

LOMPOC, Calif. - California Fish and Wildlife responded to a call that a bear was spotted on H Street in Lompoc early Sunday morning.

The call came in around 2 a.m. A wildlife officer located the bear and saw that he was headed toward an open area on the east side of town.

For the safety of the bear and the public, the wildlife officer and Lompoc police monitored the bear's movements and worked to coax him toward the Santa Ynez riverbed and away from town.

Fortunately, Fish and Wildlife said the bear eventually did wander toward the riverbed and disappeared into the nearby wooded area.

There were no reports that the bear behaved aggressively or caused any damage to property during this incident.

Wildlife officers confirmed that this bear was the same bear that strolled into Lompoc on May 12. At that time, officers used tranquilizer darts to subdue the bear and relocate him safely away from the city.

After being relocated, the bear was spotted one other time south of Lompoc in the Gaviota area.

Fish and Wildlife said that animals, including bears, typically only come to areas where they think they are going to find a meal.

Tim Daly, Public Information Officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, recommended everyone visit www.keepmewild.org. The website has pages for common wildlife in California such as bobcats, beavers, bears, mountain lions and more. It provides a breakdown for each animal and explains what could cause them to behave in certain ways, as well as what we can do to minimize the temptation for them to enter our communities.

For bears, this includes making sure food trash is thrown away in a bear-proof dumpster, keeping doors and windows locked, never leaving food unattended outside and more.