Bear spotted wandering through supermarket in California

The 125lb mammal was seen roaming the aisles of a Ralphs in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles

A bear was spotted wandering the aisles of a Ralphs in outer Los Angeles (Instagram / Tisha Campbell)

Shoppers at a grocery store in California were shocked to find a bear wandering round the aisles.

The 125lb creature was spotted strolling through a Ralphs in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles early on Saturday morning. Witnesses said the store’s staff coaxed the animal out of the door.

“The store clerks shooed him out,” customer Tisha Campbell wrote on Instagram, along with her video of the encounter. “There was no policeman called, no d*** fire dept, no veter-effin-narian. NUTHIN!”

When Los Angeles police did get to the scene, the bear was hiding under a trailer behind a nearby Walmart. The officers called the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which eventually arrived and tranquilised the creature.

“It was decided that the best route for not only public safety but also for the bear itself was to chemically immobilise the animal, which we were successful in doing,” Jake Coombs, a Fish and Wildlife officer, told CBS Los Angeles. “And it’s on its way back to the Angeles National Forest for release to a suitable habitat.”

Fortunately, no one of either species was hurt.

“I’m glad that nobody came in contact with the bear,” David Balen, a member of the Porter Ranch neighbourhood council, told CBS. “Anything can happen.”

The LAPD says this was just one of three bear sightings in the area.