Yogi Bear once claimed himself "smarter than the average bear," but a black bear living in California might be giving the animated character a run for his money after finding a rent-free residence with ties to Yogi himself.

Bob and Susan Nesler of Sierra Madre, California, discovered a few weeks ago that a black bear was living underneath their home after a concerned neighbor reported the sighting to police. Suspicion brewed before learning of their new housemate when they saw their gate broken and trash strewn over the driveway, but they never expected it to post up at their home.

Black bears might roam the area and rummage through trash every now and then, but attacks on humans are extremely rare, Tim Daly of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) told Newsweek via email. Knowing this, the Neslers decided to leave the bear alone unless he started to cause problems.

The bear, nicknamed Junior, must've known this was the right place to be because Bob has a soft spot for cuddly bears. Bob just so happens to be the animator of Yogi Bear. The retired animator, writer and producer is also known for his work with Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, and Garfield.

Susan spoke with Newsweek about their resident bear, whom they've since named Junior. She believes the bear picked their crawl space for shelter after a late summer and early fall heat wave hit the area. With temperatures over 110 degrees, Junior needed a cooler spot to rest, or as Susan called it, his "crash pad."

Junior usually leaves the space at 10 or 11 at night and returns by 6:30 a.m. She said he's a "party animal," but as of Wednesday evening, he had not returned, as he typically goes out for a few days at a time.

The Neslers, with help from CDFW, blocked off the crawl space and put in motion-sensing sprinklers in preparation for his return. The sprinklers will hopefully deter him from wanting to squeeze his 300- to 400-pound body into the 24-foot-by-24-foot space.

"Other than communicating with the residents, there wasn't much we could do because it would show up, use the space, but then disappear for a few days at a time," Daly explained. "Only this past weekend, was it on a more predictable schedule of showing up at night, and leaving during the day."

Susan said that this process might take two weeks to keep Junior away. He might try a few separate times before finally giving up. But in the meantime, the Neslers don't mind the extra company.

He's been a good and quiet resident, other than leaving huge piles of scat, Susan said. It breaks her heart, however, since his droppings include plastic and ketchup packets. She doesn't like to think he and other bears are eating trash.

"I don't want him to be thought of as a problem," she said. "He's just being a bear doing what bears do."

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