SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Traffic on a busy California freeway came to a standstill Tuesday evening when a bear meandered into traffic lanes.
Traffic became snarled just after 7 p.m. on the 14 Freeway near Newhall Avenue in Santa Clarita as the roaming omnivore began looking around, trying to assess its unusual surroundings, KTLA reported.
A motorist (@dan-kanes) recorded the bear walking in traffic on the freeway and shared it with the news outlet. After a short time, the bear looked around and returned to the nearby hills.
“Motorists displayed compassion and patience for the bear,” said Kanes, who described the wild animal as looking “a little confused.”
Chris Schauble, a morning news anchor with KTLA, said he was stuck in the backup after being alerted to the traffic congestion by his daughter.
“So, I’m leaving the gym and sure enough it’s nuts out there … I thought, ‘Oh there was an accident,’ I had no idea it was a bear,” he said.
Spring is the time of year that bears leave their winter dens in search of food, wildlife experts said.
Black bears are the only wild bears in California. However, they do come in many different colors, from solid black to shades of brown and tan, according to wildlife.ca.gov.
