This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
[Updated: Thu., Apr. 22, 2025, 4:05pm]
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are taking tips about a black bear that spent much of last week wandering Goleta and Isla Vista.
Sightings of a black bear in the area first came by way of a doorbell camera in Goleta near Cathedral Oaks on Tuesday, April 15. In the following days, people spotted the bear in Isla Vista and on UC Santa Barbara’s campus. By Friday, a video on the social media site Reddit showed the bear walking at the water’s edge on More Mesa Beach.
In a call with the Independent, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it set a trap at UCSB’s campus on Thursday, but took it down on Saturday. The department also reports finding bear prints on More Mesa Beach. Another Reddit post on Saturday shows dirty prints on outdoor furniture from a home on the Mesa. The prints, Fish and Wildlife said, are consistent with bear tracks.
According to the department, the bear may have returned to its home habitat. Bears are generally looking for suitable habitat for them. If they journey into an urban environment and find it lacking, they will often wander back into suitable habitat. Los Padres National Forest supports a population of black bears.
Fish and Wildlife is currently working with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to monitor the bear. The dispatch office said it has not received any bear sightings since Friday.
If you see the bear, call the sheriff’s dispatch at (805) 683-2724 or the Department of Fish and Wildlife at (858) 467 4201. If the bear is acting aggressively or putting you or others in danger, call 9-1-1.
Editor’s Note: The Independent previously reported the trap was set on Friday. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it was set on Thursday of that week.
