Looks like that lazy SoCal lifestyle is catching up with the state's bear population:
"Bears with access to human food get bigger; females hit puberty quicker and have more cubs," said David Graber, a senior science advisor for the National Park Service.
For example, unlike wild bear food such as acorns and berries, garbage is high in protein and fat, which is why bears crave it. Fatter female bears produce more embryos, and many bears in Southern California are having litters of two or three cubs, compared to one or two naturally, said Kevin Brennan, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game.
A 2003 study of black bears in the Sierra Nevada found that those in urban areas and eating garbage weighed as much as 30% more than bears in wilderness areas. They also were significantly less active — restricting their range from about 150 square miles to just a few blocks in urban neighborhoods. The study was published in the Journal of Zoology.
The state Fish and Game Department estimates that 33,260 black bears inhabit California today — up from roughly 4,000 in 1984. Hunters have been taking about 1,800 animals annually in recent years, compared to about 1,000 per year 20 years ago, according to the department.
Better lock up those picnic baskets.
