California bears make themselves at home as humans build closer to nature

‘This is the time of year that this activity tends to pick up because bears tend to fatten up for the winter.’ Photograph: Janet Kopper/Getty Images

Humans are building homes closer to the forest in southern California, and bears are putting their foot, or their paw, down.

Residents in Sierra Madre, a city neighboring the more than 700,000-acre (283,280-hectare) Angeles national forest, have had black bears break into their homes, cars and yards.