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Giant Bear Gets Into Newhall Back Yard, Eats Pet Food

NEWHALL (CBSLA.com) — A Newhall man had a big surprise when he discovered an uninvited guest, caught on camera, feeding in his back yard.

Neighbor David Rentz said he spotted a big bear while driving home Monday night and started recording the animal on his phone.

"The bear crossed right over, went into their front yards over here, down the side of the hill," Rentz recalled as he pointed to the property of his neighbor, Ken Price.

Rentz tailed the animal in his car until it ducked into Price's yard and went up close to a sliding glass door.

"Little bit of shock. Little bit of fear because he could've come through the glass door," Rentz acknowledged.

Price said the four-legged intruder took down a hummingbird feeder, rummaged through his trash, ate the food he left out for his three cats and drank water out of a bowl.

"He must have weighed 300 or 400 pounds. I mean, solid," Price said. "I've got to leave them food, and I don't want them inside. So, I'm not that worried about it, to tell you the truth."

But the California Department of Fish and Wildlife warned leaving pet food outside is not recommended because it can create a bad habit for bears coming down the hillsides to feed this time of year.

The animals can easily become aggressive if they get scared. "When an animal does become a public safety issue, we get involved. Unfortunately at times, we have to dispatch or kill the animal," warned Lt. J.C. Healy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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