Black bear BB-12 killed on 101 Freeway between Newbury Park and Camarillo
BB-12, the first black bear found in the Santa Monica Mountains, has died after getting hit by a car on the 101 Freeway Thursday evening.
"When any of our radio-collared animals get killed on the road, it's sad but not that surprising after 20 years of studying these animals in the region," said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist for the mountain lion study at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). "Roadkill is the number one source of mortality for our mountain lions, so there's no reason to believe it would be much different for other large carnivores."
BB-12 was between 3-4 years old. He was first captured and tagged on April 23 in the western Santa Monica Mountains just south of the 101 Freeway. The National Parks Service believed the black bear lived in the area for two years but most likely came from the Santa Susana Mountains north of Highway 118, most likely crossing major highways before being captured and tracked.
Sikich said BB-12 crossed major roads successfully five times for the short time NPS tracked him. A few weeks after he was collared, the bear crossed the 101 Freeway, Highway 23 and the 118 Freeway successfully before returning to his natural habitat in the Santa Susana Mountains.
"On the sixth time, he unfortunately got hit," Sikich said.
His last recorded location was in the Wildwood neighborhood of Thousand Oaks, according to the NPS. Authorities said that a park service biologist discovered BB-12 on the median of the 101 Freeway at about 10:30 p.m. His carcass was transported to a freezer facility.
On more than one occasion, BB-12 crossed the 101 and Pacific Coast Highway to walk along the shores of Leo Carillo State Beach, dazzling biologists.
"He provided valuable information in the short time that we studied him," said Seth Riley, the wildlife branch chief for SMMNRA. "Wide-ranging animals like this young male bear are especially useful for learning about connectivity in the region, and this was certainly true of BB-12, given the five major road (crossings) that he made in such a short time."