Mountain living in Wrightwood means accepting a few quirks, some of which are bear-resistant trash receptacles and locking car doors. Living in the mountains means you are sharing the environment with a wide range of wildlife. While there is always the possibility that a mountain lion, coyote, bobcat, or bear may make its way into town, there seems to be an influx of these visits due to the loss of habitat by the Bridge Fire. One bear recently decided he would show off his skills and keep an eye on a cabin while the owners were away.
Frank and Lynn Yost returned to their rental property in August, preparing to make some updates. Once inside, Lynn could hear water running but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. After checking all the obvious places with no luck, Lynn stepped out back, and to her surprise, there was running water coming from a spigot sticking out of the ground!
Lynn jumped into action and quickly turned off the frost-free faucet that was now exposed from under the cabin. “I didn’t even know it was there,” recalled Lynn. With the water now under control, Lynn had a chance to take in the ripped panels from the back of the cabin and the rather large bear paw prints on the remaining frame. While bears are known to be intelligent, turning on faucets is not a common occurrence, but this unexpected guest was smarter than the average bear! Along with leaving the Yosts a higher-than-expected water bill, the bear also dug a big hole for the water to run into, creating its own little pool.
After talking to some friends, they were given the advice to leave the hole exposed for a while in case the bear decided to return. The Yosts heeded the advice and continued with their updates to the cabin on their visits to Wrightwood throughout the month. On one of their trips to the cabin, they again heard the sound of running water. Sure enough, the bear did indeed return for more water. Luckily, another high water bill is all the Yosts would be left with, and no more damage was made to the cabin. This time, the Yosts would be sure to shut the water off completely before leaving.
While it is possible that the bear visited because it could smell water, this seems to be an unlikely case, as there were no visible leaks in the faucet. “It’s a mystery what the bear could have been looking for,” Lynn shared.
With the loss of habitat, wildlife will inevitably find their way into local towns looking for food. The best ways to prevent them from becoming comfortable in doing so are to ensure that any attractants, such as garbage, bird feeders, pet food, greasy grills, and fruit fallen from trees, are properly stored and picked up.
