Black Bear Sighting in Ventura County Sparks Public Safety Alert, Animal Removed Unharmed

A black bear that was spotted roaming in Santa Paula in Ventura County prompted a public safety alert on June 8, as police and wildlife officials rushed to safely capture the animal.

A bear was spotted in the 600 block of West Main Street on Monday, the Santa Paula Police Department said in a social media post.

In a later post, police said they were at the scene of the bear sighting.

Police urged residents to stay clear of the area while officials worked to secure the area and capture the animal. Residents were advised to stay indoors and report bear sightings by dialling 911.

A few hours later, authorities confirmed that the incident had ended without any injuries to people or to the animal.

Police said the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) had “tranquilized and safely removed” the black bear from the area.

“There were no injuries reported and the bear was not harmed,” police said in a post on X.

Police shared an image of the captured bear. The bear appeared to be tranquilized and resting in a truck.

Black Bear Rehabilitation Efforts

The encounter in Santa Paula comes at a time when the CDFW continues its efforts to protect and rehabilitate the state’s black bear population.

In a recent social media post, the agency characterized the rehabilitation and release of five orphaned black bears as a “massive win.”

In a release on Monday, the CDFW said that the five black bear cubs that were rehabilitated and released into Northern California in November 2025 successfully hibernated through the winter and returned to the landscape this spring healthy and active.

All five bears, which were microchipped, ear-tagged, and fitted with GPS collars, had established dens, hibernated through the winter, and reemerged this spring.

The rehabilitation was part of an experimental initiative to assess the viability of releasing rehabilitated juvenile black bears back into the wild in the fall as opposed to doing so in the usual spring season, according to the CDFW.

This practice, which has proved successful in other states but was never tested in California, helps to lower human-wildlife conflict.

Black Bears in California

Black bears are commonly seen across California. The state is home to roughly 60,000 black bears, among the largest populations in the country.

Black bears are distributed across most of California, and are usually spotted in urban areas with unsecured attractants, according to the CDFW.

While bears are abundantly found in the North Coast and Cascade regions, which together account for the state’s 50% of the black bear population, roughly 40% of the population is found in the Sierra Nevada.

The Central Coast and South Coast usually have a lower density of bears, according to the CDFW.