Watch: Hungry Bear Prompts Lockdown Of La Cañada Schools

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, CA — A big brown bear forced the lockdown of three schools in La Cañada Flintridge Thursday when the lumbered through the neighborhood.

The precautionary lockdowns occurred shortly afternoon Thursday when a bear was spotted in the backyard of a home in the 4800 block of Daleridge Road in La Cañada a Flintridge. It was enough to trigger lockdowns at La Cañada High School, St. Francis High School and Crestview Preparatory School. By 1:15 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted after the bear was contained at a nearby backyard, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

By 3 p.m. wildlife officials tranquilized the bear as it slept in a tree, and took it into custody for relocation. It was the second time on Thursday that wildlife officials had to tranquilize a bear wandering through a San Gabriel Valley neighborhood.

A bear in La Verne kept authorities busy for hours while Thursday morning while he foraged for food in a residential neighborhood. The brown bear wandered San Dimas, swam in the La Verne Damien High School pool, an napped in a nearby tree until Department of Fish and Wildlife officers hit it with a tranquilizer dart and took it into custody for relocation.

RELATED: Brown Bear Rests In Tree After Swimming In La Verne School Pool

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City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Shutterstock