What Is WIld Neighbor?

Silhouette of a person with a camera taking a photo of a mountainous landscape at sunset or sunrise.
A digital line graph showing fluctuations over time, with a dark background and bright lines.

Wild Neighbor is dedicated to reducing conflicts with American black bears (Ursus americanus) through proactive, non-lethal, science-informed strategies.

Wild Neighbor is owned & operated by Jessica West (B.S., Humboldt State University), wildlife biologist & former Environmental Scientist and Human-Wildlife Conflict Specialist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

With over two decades of hands-on field work experience and state-wide black bear population and conflict research across the Transverse Ranges of Southern California, Jessica brings you bear-specific expertise directly.

Wild Neighbor Offers:

  • Property assessments & bear attractant management recommendations

  • Crawl space inspections & humane evictions

  • Installation of bear-resistant deterrent setups (such as electric mats and wiring for chicken coops, bee yards, gardens, garbage storage areas, etc.)

  • Professional consultation & guidance for homeowners, communities, commercial operations, and more

Shannon Sommer

Reach Out to Wild Neighbor!

Why Conflict Prevention Matters

Young brown bear standing in a forested area surrounded by green foliage and trees.

Johanna Turner

Wild Neighbor aims to prevent:

  • Bears from becoming food-conditioned

  • Bears from becoming overly habituated to humans

  • Bears having to be euthanized

  • Property damage to homes, agricultural resources, businesses, and more

  • Conflict between (human) neighbors

  • Wildlife management agency and law enforcement need to respond

Why Wild Neighbor?

Wild Neighbor was created to help address the growing number of human-bear conflict and incidents occurring in Southern California.

We complement existing wildlife management efforts by providing site-specific support at the property level where many conflicts originate.

We fill a critical gap in available conflict prevention resources and draw from hands-on experience in the field.

Johanna Turner

Whether you need a vulnerable crawl space secured, electrified deterrents to protect your chicken coop, a comprehensive site assessment for your home, or guidance for a community or business, Wild Neighbor offers solutions that work!