Black Bear BB-12 Struck And Killed On 101 Freeway
THOUSAND OAKS, CA — BB-12, believed to be the only black bear living in the Santa Monica Mountains, was struck and killed by a vehicle on the 101 Freeway on Thursday, according to the National Park Service.
On July 20, a Park Service biologist and a California Highway Patrol officer collected BB-12’s body from the freeway median at the top of the Conejo Grade, the steep incline that connects Camarillo with Thousand Oaks. A motorist had reported the collision earlier that day, according to the NPS.
“When any of our radio-collared animals get killed on the road, it’s sad but not that surprising after 20 years of studying these animals in the region,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist for the mountain lion study at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Roadkill is the number one source of mortality for our mountain lions, so there’s no reason to believe it would be much different for other large carnivores.”
Find out what's happening in Agoura Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Scientists first began tracking the 210-pound bear on April 23, after they captured him in the western Santa Monica Mountains and fitted him with a radio collar. Since then, the bear, estimated to be 3 to 4 years old, had crossed major roads at least five times.
He made several visits to beaches in Malibu; he left paw prints on Leo Carrillo State Beach last month. He also successfully crossed the 101 Freeway, Highway 23 and the 118 Freeway, where he returned to the Santa Susana Mountains — where he is believed to have originated and where the nearest population of black bears live, according to the Park Service.
Find out what's happening in Agoura Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
BB-12 crossed the 118 Freeway and headed south on July 17 and was captured on surveillance video in Moorpark at night. Two days later he crossed Highway 23 in broad daylight. The following day he was spotted at midnight in Thousand Oaks, according to the NPS.
Click Here: Spain National Team soccer tracksuit
“He provided valuable information in the short time that we studied him,” said Seth Riley, the wildlife branch chief for the Santa Monica Mountains recreation area. “Wide-ranging animals like this young male bear are especially useful for learning about connectivity in the region, and this was certainly true of BB-12, given the five major road crossing that he made in such a short time.”
State and federal authorities later this year plan to begin a new study of wildlife connectivity along the Conejo Grade, according to the Park Service.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is under construction further east in the Conejo Valley in Agoura Hills. Set to be completed in 2025, the grass-covered bridge is meant to offer mountain lions and other wildlife safer passage across the 101 Freeway.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
