Four black bears have been seen prowling near Harry and Meghan’s California home.
The Duke of Sussex and his heavily pregnant wife are now being warned to tighten their security measures to keep the animals at bay.
The alert comes after the Sunday Mirror told how a bear tried to attack a neighbour’s chicken coop last month.
Now two adults have been spotted roaming in upmarket Montecito in the hills of Santa Barbara – with a later sighting of a mother with two cubs
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A residents’ group, which counts Harry and Meghan as members, has sent emails alerting them to the dangers and telling them what they should do to secure their chickens.
Sharon Byrne, boss of the Montecito Association, said during the online meeting: “We’ve nicknamed the male bear Carlos and now he has a Carla to go with him. It’s spring, they’ve woken up and they’ve been seen in the past two weeks.
"One at the eastern edge of Montecito and one at the western edge in the space of a day. We’ve also had a sighting of the mama bear with cubs.”
The animal-loving Duke and Duchess have been urged to buy bear-resistant bins, keep their chickens in a secure yard and to freeze waste food so the smell doesn’t attract the bears.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, moved to A-list favourite Montecito after stepping back from their roles as working royals.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said: “People should not give bears access to food.
“If you come across one, talk quietly and back off slowly.” Montecito local Penny Bianchi built a “predatorproof ” coop last month after a male bear ate her chickens.
She said: “Last time he was here, I scared him off by banging frying pans together.”
Earlier today it was revealed that the couple has been moved below the Wessexes on the Royal Family's website following their move.
The Sussexes now sit beneath Harry's father Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and the Wessexes.
The website says the couple will be “balancing their time” between the UK and North America, in light of their move to Los Angeles.
The heavily pregnant Duchess has not made her due date public – and refuses to even be drawn on the month her baby is predicted to arrive.
Meghan is reportedly planning a home birth in California, US, and the Sussexes will take time to bond as a family of four.
Sources close to the couple claim that they plan to take both paternity and maternity leave when their baby girl arrives.
That, one royal expert suggests, could be "any day now".
