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No one is more excited than this black bear that Monday is trash pickup day in the 900 block of Norumbega Drive in Monrovia.

A photographer from RMG Media captured footage of a large black bear rummaging through the contents of a trash can around 2 a.m. Monday morning, ripping apart several bags it had knocked onto the street in this foothills community. 

The bear seemed aware it was being watched but wasn’t deterred.

Monrovia Black Bear
A black bear rummages through trash in Monrovia, California. April 24, 2023. (RMG Media)

After picking through the trash and apparently finding very little to eat, the bear eventually moved along.

California’s black bear population has soared over the past several decades.

In 1982, the statewide population was estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 black bears, according to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. Today, that number is “conservatively estimated” to be between 30,000 and 40,000.