Backyard bear surprises woman in Yuba City neighborhood
YUBA CITY — A Yuba City woman has a warning for her neighborhood after one big burly neighbor unexpectedly showed up in her backyard.
Nancy Jimenez heard something substantial scurry up the tree Tuesday night, so she grabbed her flashlight and her daughter. They couldn't believe what they saw. A bear was hiding in their tree.
"I got my shoes on and we came out here and she shined her light up and I was like what is that?" Nancy's daughter Lexie said. "And then it started hissing at us, so I ran back inside like 'No, thank you.' "
"Actually, I was surprised I wasn't scared," Nancy said. "I was more like in awe that there's an actual bear in my little Yuba City town."
They're not sure how long the bear had been in their backyard but they did hear their dog barking most of the day. The only sign the bear was even there was a broken part of their fence.
"I would think possum, raccoon but a bear? My son thought I was crazy. I'm like 'No, really, it's a bear. You need to come over now,' " Nancy said.
Ann Bryant, the executive director of the BEAR League, isn't surprised. She said they're taking calls on bears in neighborhoods more than ever.
"You know what's happening is, with all the recent fires over the last few years and so much bear habitats having burned, the bears have been moved around due to that," she said.
With the neighbor no one saw coming, Nancy is now sharing video of the encounter to give everyone fair warning.
"It just makes me a little bit in fear for my neighbors who will walk out and be like 'Oh my Gosh, there's a bear in my yard,' " she said.
