Bear spotted in northwest Fresno neighborhood, search called off

A bear roaming the 7200 block of North Ila near West and Minarets avenues sent northwest Fresno into an unusual morning scramble Thursday, after the first call came in around 5:50 a.m. California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers responded and later called off the search, believing the animal had moved toward the nearby San Joaquin River corridor.

Video from the neighborhood showed the bear moving through driveways, crossing streets and circling parked cars as it tried to avoid people. State wildlife staff said the animal appeared to be a young black bear, likely between 1 and 2 years old, that had come down from the mountains east of Fresno and then followed the river corridor into the city edge.

The sighting stood out because bear activity in Fresno proper is rare enough to become a neighborhood event almost immediately. CDFW biologist Dan Fidler said he could not recall another bear in Fresno proper in 15 to 20 years with the department. For one resident, David Greenmeyer, the encounter changed the morning dog walk, a small reminder of how quickly a wildlife sighting can alter a routine block.

California’s black bear is the only bear species living in the state today, and CDFW says black bears can turn up in natural, rural and residential areas. The agency estimates the state’s bear population at between 49,000 and 71,000 and says it has increased over the past 25 years. CDFW also says encounters are more likely as more people live and recreate near wildlife habitat, a pressure point that is visible in places like northwest Fresno, where neighborhoods sit near open space and river corridors.

Officials said the bear’s behavior fit the normal pattern for wildlife that wanders into neighborhoods. It was wary of people, kept moving and was expected to return to its natural habitat on its own. That made the moment more of a public-safety concern than a true emergency, with officials trying to keep people from cornering, feeding or approaching the animal.

CDFW directs residents to report wildlife sightings through its sightings system or to the appropriate regional office. Fresno Police say emergency calls should go to 911, while other police matters should go through the non-emergency line. In a county where a bear was once tranquilized and later released at Shaver Lake, Thursday’s encounter showed again how the foothills and the city’s edge continue to overlap.