While the sight of the bear surprised Haldan, the youngster moved on harmlessly after clawing at the water in an unsuccessful attempt at capturing an elusive koi.
The colorful koi are more than a hobby to the Haldans.
"They're definitely our pets,” said 16-year-old Sequoia Hadlan. “They're part of our family. I've really gotten close with them i sometimes come out here and just stick my fingers in so they can nibble on them."
Sequoia Hadlan saw the bear swooping at the fish and she acted on instinct and rushed outside and faced the bear, hollering.
"I was just like, 'Get outta here,'” she said. “I was kind of like ‘Rawrrrr.’"
But it worked.
Gregory Hadlan, her father, thought to stop her, but he was frozen with shock.
"I've lived here for 19 years and the first thing we worried about with our koi fish is either raccoons or birds, never ever thought we'd see a bear here,” he said.
For weeks, black bears have been foraging for food in the northern reaches of the Bay Area in rural areas like the quiet Sonoma County town of Sebastopol.
Three weeks ago, residents in Sebastopol swapped stories of a string of close encounters with another young black bear.
Area resident Bruce McKeown talked to KTVU about bumping into the bear just outside his home. He did what anyone who lives in the forest would do: videotape the wild animal.
"I look over and there it was, right next to my house," said McKeown. "We stayed back but we followed him a little bit."
He stayed about 20 feet behind the bear with his camera as it made its way into the woods.
"You'd think a big lumbering bear would make a lot of noise, but he was very soft on the forest floor," remembered McKeown. "And then when he was a little upset with us, he started huffing and snorting a little bit."
The bear's reaction led him to back off.
"He was digging in other people's compost and he did kill a few chickens around here from some of the neighbors, so he was looking for food," said McKeown.
Other neighbors have seen the bear too.
"The bear was sitting here like this, with its nose in the bucket," said neighbor Catia Ely.
The bear found scraps in a compost bucket on Ely's property. The animal ignored her efforts to shoo him away, even laying down for a time with head in the pail.
The homeowner watched with her young daughter safe indoors.
"It's pretty neat to have a bear in the neighborhood, but I don't think it's gonna thrive," said Ely. "And my daughter isn't going to thrive, freaking out and having to stay inside on a beautiful day."
State wildlife officers have spotted the bear too. They said bears are not common in the area, but it is rural enough for the animals to survive if they don't become dependent on humans.
The bears are among a population of 30,000 California black bears in the state. The animals are shy and usually go unseen so the close-up views has been rare.
"It didn't seem stressed. It didn't seem in a hurry or surprised to see me," said Ridley. "I guess it's seen other people in the neighborhood who wanted to follow it and take pictures.
From KTVU.com
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