VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A bear found in a Southern California neighborhood has been captured and relocated.

Police say the 250-pound male bear was spotted Wednesday afternoon in the city of Ventura.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Bear-captured-in-Southern-California-neighborhood-12957067.php

California's black bear population has been on the rise over the last two decades, growing from an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 in the early 1980s to between 25,000 and 30,000 -- and that's a conservative estimate, according to the state department of fish and wildlife.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Bear-Romps-Through-La-Verne-Swims-in-High-School-Pool-484166171.html

By now you're no doubt familiar with the life story of P-22, the Hollywood mountain lion who's made a home for himself in Griffith Park. After being born somewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains, the young prince – his father was P-1, the first king of the Santa Monicas – spent his earliest years learning to survive as a mountain lion in the big city by sticking to mom's side. Then around his second birthday, P-22 was pulled away by the lure of independence. With the exception of mothers and their young offspring, mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, catamounts, and ghost cats, are loners.

https://www.kcet.org/shows/earth-focus/a-tale-of-two-lions-p-41-and-p-22-underscore-challenges-for-non-human-urban

The River Otter Ecology Project (ROEP) motion activated cameras capture a lot of valuable photos and videos that provide information about otters' activities and behavior. But the key population data comes from ordinary citizens who see otters and enter their sightings on ROEP's "Otter Spotter" website.

The sightings are added to an interactive map. The site also has information about river otters, including on how to identify them, so you know you are looking at the right animal. You can also share your own otter photos and videos.
Otter Spotters started in 2012, with 150 sightings the first year. Now, the total is up to almost 2,500 otters spotted.

http://abc30.com/pets-animals/california-river-otters-making-comeback/3543624/

While California black bears are generally not harmful to people, they can make your camping experience miserable by tearing up tents, stealing food, breaking into cars and frightening people of all ages.

From the description above, you might recognize that food is a common denominator.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-cowan-column-0602-story.html

“For wildlife to have a future in California — and the rest of the world — we need to foster a daily relationship with wildlife and nature. ‘There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot,’ said legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold. I argue none of us really can.”

http://www.sgvtribune.com/naturalist-finds-lions-in-la-city-parks-raptors-on-skyscrapers-and-foxes-at-facebook-proving-humans-and-wildlife-can-coexist-in-california

The case, California Sea Urchin Commission v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife, stems from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan in 1986 to widen the territory supporting the otter population.

http://www.wnd.com/2018/06/bureaucrats-power-on-trial-in-california-wildlife-dispute/

The fifth annual California Invasive Species Action Week is scheduled Saturday, June 2, through Sunday, June 10. Action Week is a statewide event that promotes public participation in the fight against invasive species that harm our environment, agriculture and native species.

https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2018/06/01/annual-california-invasive-species-action-week-benefits-environment-and-native-species/

Spring and early summer is the peak time for much of California’s wildlife to bear their young. With this in mind, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is asking well-intentioned members of the public to leave young wildlife alone.

http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/14134-california-department-of-fish-and-wildlife-reminds-the-public-to-leave-young-wildlife-alone

These islands—which seem to rise from the sea like a string of floating mountains—have never been part of the mainland. During the last ice age they were only five miles from shore, allowing mammals to raft there on debris and to then evolve in a relatively protected arena. Today the islands are home to 150 species found nowhere else on Earth.

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/visit-california-s-version-galapagos-islands