Bear Under SoCal Home Was Hunting for Booze After Wildfire Destruction, Expert Says

An enormous bear discovered underneath an Altadena house after the L.A. wildfires probably ended up there in search of a sugar rush and a stiff drink ... an animal expert tells TMZ.

Animal Planet’s Forrest Galante -- wildlife expert, biologist, and TV host known for a series of “Shark Week” specials on Discovery -- tells us he’s confident the 525-pound Yogi making headlines Friday was looking for sweets, booze and a place to crash after being displaced by the massive blazes -- the Eaton Fire specifically, in this instance.

If you've ever gone camping in SoCal, you've probably seen bears raiding dumpsters and campsites … and, Galante says this results in many acquiring a sweet tooth and a drinking problem -- and, just because their normal supply is eliminated doesn't mean the cravings end.

In this particular case, the huge bear – dubbed "Barry" by the locals -- was likely looking for an area similar to his usual habitat ... hence being found in a cool, dark, damp crawlspace, much like a cave.

When experts from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived, they took one look at the big ol' behemoth and decided it wouldn't be smart to tranquilize him while he was under the house ... so, instead they filled a trap full of delicious goods to lure him out.

He came out of the crawlspace within minutes, according to the Fish and Wildlife team -- not surprising, since Galante's sure all he wanted was some sweet treats.

The team trapped the mischievous creature ... and, they took him to Angeles National Forest -- 86ing him from his new hunting ground -- where they collared him for future tracking, and ultimately released him.

Although the wildlife population overall is extremely resilient … it takes the largest predators, like bears and mountain lions, the most time to bounce back fully after a wildfire, Galante says.

And if the fires keep occurring regularly in the same area … it’s likely species would be permanently driven from the area -- so, the L.A. area could lose the beautiful creatures unless serious changes are made.