Coyote Drives Bear Away From Los Angeles Home as Smaller Coyote Watches

A late-night security-camera recording from a Los Angeles home captured an unusual standoff between a bear and two coyotes, with one coyote repeatedly moving toward the larger animal until it backed away. Richard Hurwitz said his camera alerted him to activity outside his Tarzana home at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. When he checked the footage, he saw a bear approaching the stone path leading to his driveway. The bear stopped after a larger coyote advanced toward it several times. A second, smaller coyote remained nearby in the road while the larger animal continued to position itself between the bear and the smaller coyote, according to Hurwitz’s description of the video. Hurwitz told local television stations KTLA-TV and KABC-TV that he believed the larger coyote was trying to protect the smaller one. He said the coyote moved toward the bear repeatedly, while the bear slowly retreated. The confrontation did not turn violent, Hurwitz said. The bear eventually left for a nearby yard. The homeowner said he was shocked by what the camera had recorded and was eager to show the footage to others. The video documented the animals’ movements, but the source material does not establish whether the coyotes were related or identify why the bear had approached the property.