Bear spotted near IV Elementary School and Nearby Areas
Alissa Orozco
ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Yet another bear has been spotted Thursday morning in the Goleta/Isla Vista area. Your News Channel received reports of a small bear around walking paths of Isla Vista Elementary, and later near the Devereux Slough.
Employees of Isla Vista Elementary School were notified of a bear walking around behind the school, and were encouraged to take alternative walking paths.
“An email was sent by a neighbor that they got a message from the IV school saying that a bear had been sighted by the red barn and you probably don’t want to walk your kids to school through the path that cuts from our housing complex to the school,” said Isla Vista resident Janet Head.
It was seen a little while later about a mile away at the Devereux Slough.
This comes weeks after a series of bear sightings beginning in Goleta were reported. The county was on “bear watch” as the bear seemed to be traveling south through residential Goleta neighborhoods, Santa Barbara beaches, and UC Santa Barbara apartments and campus.
The body of a bear was found on Highway 101 southbound of Padaro Lane in Summerland in April. It was unknown if the body found was the same bear spotted throughout the county.
Your Newschannel was also sent video on April 29th of a bear near Highway 154.
A video shows the bear walking around nearby horse stables in a popular jogging area of UC Santa Barbara’s West Campus on Thursday.
In a statement released to parents, Isla Vista Elementary says animal control and police were notified, and will implement precautionary measures during today’s dismissal.
We’re also told police stood by the school to monitor the area as school got out on Thursday.
Anyone who sees the bear is urged to call law enforcement and report it to the Department of Fish and Wildlife under their online Wildlife Incident Reporting System.