Rare bear is roaming in Malibu Creek State Park

THOUSAND OAKS - A black bear was spotted in Malibu Creek State Park in an area that hasn’t had a regular bear population since the 1800s.

National Park Service employees discovered the bear via two “camera traps” they had set up in the park, which is located in the Santa Monica Mountains.

In the decades since the bears’ pre-1900s heydey in the Santa Monica Mountains, they have settled on the north end of Los Angeles in the Santa Susana and San Gabriel mountains and are rarely seen south of the 101 Freeway, the NPS said.

But at least one bear has ventured into the Santa Monica Mountains, and its image was captured on the remote camera July 26.

At least one other bear has ventured into the year in recent years. One was killed in 2014 on a 101 Freeway off-ramp in Westlake Village.

Animal advocates have proposed building a wildlife in Agoura Hills that would allow animals that include bears and mountain lions to safely cross the 101 Freeway area.

National Park Service researchers will be checking the camera traps around Liberty Canyon, where the proposed wildlife crossing would be located, to look for evidence of the bear traveling from the north to the south.

“Malibu Creek State Park is over 8,000 acres of open space and is coected to a much larger network of habitat,” said Craig Sap, district superintendent for the Angeles District of Califoia State Parks. “If this bear decides to stay, let’s see what we can do to co-exist with it.”