Southern California’s backyard bears

The 400-pound black bear dubbed “Meatball” and known to some by the Twitter persona “Glen Bearian” was first spotted in April and returned to the Glendale area again in late June after being tranquilized and taken deep into the Angeles National Forest. The bear has been known to snack on meatballs, baklava and other trashed food items, and is thought to have once taken a dip in a backyard pool. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

July 10, 2012 9:57 AM PT

Bears have been popping up in Southern California backyards in recent months, some frightened into trees, rummaging through trash cans, and a few who have taken a dip in a backyard pool. Officials have stressed that residents must secure their trash and stay away from bears as a heat wave approaches Southern California.

Fish and Game Lt. Martin Wall shoots a tranquilizer dart at the 400-pound black bear, known to some as “Glen Bearian” or “Meatball,” after he cornered the bear in an apartment complex in La Crescenta in April. The bear was marked with an orange ear tag so he could be easily identified by officials. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

L.A. County sheriff’s deputies and Fish and Game officers carry the 400-pound bear after it was shot with four tranquilizer darts in April. The bear was taken deep into the Angeles National Forest, but returned to the Glendale area several times. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A mother black bear was rifling through a garbage can in Altadena eating leftover birthday cake, when an astonished resident picking up his morning newspaper saw the animal in his driveway. The frightened bears quickly scampered up an oak tree. They later took a morning nap. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A mother California black bear prepares to leave her perch with her two cubs above an Altadena home May 1. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the California Fish & Game, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stand across the street from where a mother California black bear and her two cubs settled in on a tree above a home on in Altadena on May 1. ( Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Southern California’s backyard bears

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