BB-12 (black bear)
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_(52868311953).jpg) BB-12 in 2023 | |
| Other name |
|
|---|---|
| Species | American black bear (Ursus americanus) |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 2019 |
| Died | July 20, 2023 (aged 3–4) U.S. 101 in Ventura County |
| Cause of death | Wildlife-vehicle collision |
| Residence | Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
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BB-12 (c. 2019 – July 20, 2023) was a wild male American black bear who resided in the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. He was the first of his kind to be GPS-tracked in the area.
Scientists believe BB-12 originated from the Santa Susana Mountains,[1] where the nearest black bear population to him was located, and they also believe he was the first resident bear in the Santa Monica Mountains in more than twenty years.[2]
BB-12 first came to the public's attention in 2021, when a Santa Monica Mountain resident posted a photograph of him on Reddit.[3] For the next two years, BB-12 showed up on multiple cameras across the western half of the range, and in April 2023, the National Park Service captured and outfitted him with a GPS tracker. At the time, BB-12 weighed 210 pounds (95 kg) and was estimated to be 3-4 years old.[2]
In the following three months, BB-12 was tracked living alone[4] in the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and several other locations. He made multiple trips to Malibu beaches and safely crossed major roads, including SR-118 and SR-23, five times. On BB-12's sixth attempt, crossing US-101 at the Conejo Grade between Newbury Park and Camarillo, he was struck by a vehicle and killed.[5] The accident occurred on July 20, 2023 at around 9pm.[6]
In the three months BB-12 was tracked, he roamed 138 square miles (360 km2).[7]