Bear Sightings

August 11, 2022

Question: I live in the north Bay Area and heard about a bear sighting in a residential area. What should I do if I see a bear?

Answer: If you see a bear in an urban area, we suggest notifying local law enforcement or your CDFW regional office. Your local police or sheriff’s department will be in the best position to respond quickly and secure the area if there is a public safety issue. Local law enforcement can also contact CDFW and animal control authorities for assistance. That being said, the appropriate response to seeing a bear depends on the situation.

1.    Note that when bears enter urban areas, they’re usually looking for food. The best way to keep a bear away from your property is to eliminate all attractants like unsecured garbage and pet food. For more tips, visit CDFW’s Human-Wildlife Conflicts Program webpage (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/HWC-Program).

2.    Seeing a bear on the outskirts of town in a less populated area might warrant a call to your local police or sheriff department’s non-emergency number. You might consider programming your local law enforcement non-emergency phone number into your phone.

3.    If there’s a possible threat to public safety, call 911. For example, seeing a bear walking through a heavily populated area would warrant a 911 call.

4.    If an animal has damaged your property or you want to report an encounter with a bear, you may submit a wildlife incident report online to CDFW via the statewide Wildlife Incident Reporting System (https://wildlife.ca.gov/Living-with-Wildlife).