US Man Shocked After Spotting A Massive Black Bear Living Inside His Home: 'Couldn't Stop Shaking'

A California man received the surprise of a lifetime when he discovered a 226-kg black bear had been secretly living in the crawl space under his Altadena home. Ken Johnson, a product photographer, made the stunning discovery after reviewing his surveillance camera footage. Johnson said he grew suspicious about the presence of a squatter after spotting knocked-out trash cans and bricks dislodged around his property, according to a report in the New York Post.

Subsequently, he installed motion-detecting surveillance cameras to find which animal had been rummaging around his place. As per Johsnon, the footage showed a huge black bear, squeezing itself inside a 2.5-by-2.5-foot crawl space -- coming and going as it pleased.

While an apex predator made itself at home inside Johnson's property, the 63-year-old joked that the bear must be a "contortionist" as it managed to squeeze itself into the small space.

"I don't know how it got under there," said Johnson, adding: "This thing is so big its stomach touches the ground."

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'Couldn't Stop Shaking'

The bear usually left the premises during the day and returned at night for shelter. It did not display any signs of aggression but did scare Johnson when it roared at him last week as he attempted to change batteries for the camera.

"I couldn't stop shaking. It's the strangest sound, too. It's like a roar but it's got this hiss on it too, like a dragon. I mean, it's just incredible, and coming out from underneath that space, it just reverberates even more, just horrible."

"It's uncomfortable walking into the kitchen thinking there's a bear over there. I don't think he's any harm to me as long as I don't go down the side of the house while he's coming out."

Despite having video footage of the bear inside his house, Johnson has been unable to get the animal removed. He contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but was told to file a complaint online, which has led nowhere.

"I hope they can coax it out or shoot it with a tranquilizer and haul it away, but I don't see that happening," said Johnon, adding that the entire experience was 'unnerving' as he could hear the bear rumbling below his kitchen.