Officials bear down and finally make the catch

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BIRD'S-EYE VIEW-Sitting inside a Ventura County helicopter, a crewman looks for the bear. How does a 300-pound California black bear make it from Westlake Village all the way to Newbury Park without being spotted by the public? Easily, Ventura County Sheriff 's Department Capt. Ron Nelson said, when it makes use of the Conejo Valley's extensive drainage system.

The bear, which caused quite a stir when it was spotted April 27 near the campus of Westlake High School, was caught two days later after being cornered near the receiving dock at the Target store in Newbury Park.

"(The bear) was using the drainage channels. They run all over the place," Nelson said. "He could theoretically navigate the channels from one end of town to

the other because there are actually tunnels that go underneath the freeway. We've actually chased suspects under those tunnels in the past."

Deputies who had been following the bear since it was sighted near Mendocino Lane in Thousand Oaks late Friday night kept track of the animal long enough for officials with the California Department of Fish and Game to arrive on the scene with tranquilizer guns.

ALL-OUT HUNT-Left, North Ranch resident Frank Beeler scans the countryside using high-powered binoculars. Right, the bear is sedated and shackled before being released in the Los Padres National Forest. After the capture, the healthy male bear appeared to be no worse for the wear, officials said. Several dozen units from Fish and Game, the California Highway Patrol and Ventura County Sheriff's Department worked together on the hunt.

According to Nelson, the bear was sedated, secured and transported to an undisclosed location in the mountains north of Ojai.

As deputies had hoped, the headline-making bear went down without a fight.

"From the reports I've heard, the bear wasn't aggressive at all," Nelson said.

The only tense moment came when deputies followed the bear through the parking lot of the 7Eleven on Kimber Drive while customers milled around inside. That was the closest the bear got to people, Nelson said.

"Black bears are not aggressive toward humans. If you leave them alone, they leave you alone," he said.

hoto courtesy of Clete Bohlke The great distance the bear traveled between Wednesday, when it was first spotted, and Saturday, when it was caught, led some local residents to question whether two separate bears were involved. Nelson said it's unlikely but not impossible.

"Bears do travel in packs, so you never know," Nelson said. "But what I do know is we haven't had any further bear sightings since (the capture), and every time we've had a bear sighting, it's been one bear, and the descriptions were generally the same. So our opinion right now is that it was probably just one bear."

If you come in contact with a bear, whether in the suburbs or in the wild, Nelson said the best option is to stay away and call 911.

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For more information about wildlife sightings and other information, call the California Dept. of Fish and Game South Coast regional office at (858) 467-4201, or visit www.dfg.ca.gov.

CAREFUL-The black bear spotted at Westlake High School last week prompted residents to express their concern about the animal's safety. There were memories of the incident last year in Moorpark in which authorities shot and killed an escaped Bengal tiger. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers