Video captures the moment a Sierra Madre resident discovers a bear has wandered into his kitchen while searching for dinner.

The homeowner, Jason Wightman, said he was washing dishes at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday when suddenly, a curious black bear walked right into his home.

“My first reaction was I bolted out the front door,” Wightman said. “I think we both kind of scared each other, so he went out the back door. I came back in to grab my phone and took a snapshot and started taking video.”

Wightman is seen carefully approaching the bear who had started walking toward the refrigerator. At the sight of Wightman, the bear immediately backs away while the man is heard loudly telling the bear to leave.

The bear stepped back outside through the back patio door, however, it stuck around and poked its head inside while curiously looking around the kitchen.

The bear eventually left and headed into the backyard where a second bear was also spotted.

The encounter is the latest in a series of increased sightings that many residents in the foothill community believe have become too close for comfort.

One concerned neighbor said the frequent bear encounters present dangers for both humans and wildlife.

In response to the sightings, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is seeking help from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to increase state resources.

The board unanimously approved a motion to safeguard Sierra Madre and other foothill communities from bears and other wildlife encounters.

The motion, which criticized officials for a slow response to reported encounters with wildlife, sought to add more specialized personnel to the region to handle future encounters.

Wildlife officials said bear sightings are especially common around the spring and summertime. The uptick in bear activity can also be traced back to habitat destruction from recent drought and wildfires across California.

Officials said relocating the bears isn’t effective because the animals often return to the same territory.

Some residents want authorities to catch it and kill the bears to reduce the population altogether, but wildlife officials noted there are no immediate plans to do so.

Other residents, however, said they’re not so concerned about coexisting with the bruins.

“I don’t mind seeing bears,” Wightman said. “If I don’t see him, it’s probably a problem. Just like deer. I love my bears in this town.”

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