The relatively dense Cherokee Oaks neighborhood has supported three garbage-rummaging bears in 2025. According to some reports, more than half of the houses are operated as short term rentals (STRs). The bears frequent the STR waste carts left roadside 24 hours per day, 7 days per week… a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet of left-over pizza.

A mother and her two yearlings emerged from their den in January to feast on the contents of two recycling carts. By February, they started scoping out the neighborhood more frequently. By April, they were regular STR guests.

At the end of April, the mother sent the yearlings off on their own, and they were soon seen moseying about in Cherokee Oaks and on the other side of the South Fork of the Kaweah River.

A female bear, assumed to be their mother, remained in the neighborhood for several more weeks. An injury to her front left leg didn’t seem to affect her appetite. Nor did it affect her ability to topple trash carts.

After June, she disappeared, hopefully to find a mate at higher elevations.

One or both of the yearlings remained; however, they were no longer seen ambling together as the season progressed. With summer came an increase in STR visitors and a commensurate increase in trash. Nine garbage incident reports in June increased to seventeen in July, twenty in August, and over thirty in September.

The yearlings became more nonchalant around humans. One was seen next to a toppled garbage cart eating peanut butter out of a jar. The bear wasn’t interested in moving on.

The scat left around the neighborhood was full of trash. By September, witnesses and backyard videos indicated that one of the yearlings had lost weight.

A community member dubbed the bear “Lee,” which is short for Bearly.

Perhaps garbage rummaging isn’t Lee’s forte. Fortunately, acorn season isn’t far away.