Is that bear playing basketball? Wanderer leaves CA neighborhood jumpy, officials say

A bear was jumping over fences to get into backyards in a California neighborhood. But don’t worry — it just wanted to play basketball.

The large and agile bear and had been wandering through a Lompoc neighborhood, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife news release posted Tuesday on Facebook.

The nearly 300-pound bear was going into resident’s backyards and appeared to be fond of basketball, officials said.

The neighbors in this Santa Barbara County town were not amused.

“(The bear was) jumping over fences from backyard to backyard and causing quite a bit of anxiety among neighbors who were already sheltering in place,” wildlife officials said.

The bear was no threat to public safety and was kicking around a basketball when police found it, officials said in the news release.

Lompoc police darted the bear and released it “to the nearest suitable habitat,” according to the news release.

“A similar scenario played itself out in Solvang, not far from Lompoc, on April 25… minus the basketball,” officials said.

This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Is that bear playing basketball? Wanderer leaves CA neighborhood jumpy, officials say."