A Colorado family got an unexpected wake-up call in July when they discovered a bear had wandered into their home and helped itself to breakfast in the kitchen.
Indoor security footage from the Colorado Springs residence captured the bear strolling into the kitchen on July 21 before grabbing food inside the house.
“I was getting ready in the morning and heard a bang. I asked my kids—8, 6, and 3 years old—if they were all okay, and they were all upstairs playing,” Nerissa England told Storyful.
A bear entered a Colorado family’s home, ate food from a kitchen table and later dragged a trash can outside. (Storyful)
England said she initially thought a picture may have fallen from the wall. Her curious 8-year-old daughter, Zara Lee, headed downstairs to check, while England’s husband followed behind to get coffee. “She rounded the corner into our kitchen, and a bear was eating our trash right outside the kitchen door,” England said.
The bear is believed to have entered through a back door the family had left open to let in a breeze during the hot weather.
A black bear is seen in a grassy area. (Getty Images Creatives)
Once inside, the animal ate Flintstones vitamins that had been left on a table, then pulled a trash can outside and started digging through it near the kitchen door, England said.
Zara Lee and her father reportedly managed to scare the bear away by opening the door and making noise.
“We will be keeping the door shut for a while until the local bears get the food they need and go into hibernation!” England told Storyful.
Black bear on road at Mount Rainier, Wash. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Bears have wandered into people’s homes across the United States in record numbers after a dry winter wiped out plants, grasses, berries, and nuts that form around 90% of their diet, Reuters reported.
Their sense of smell has lured them to places with human food. This has led to record bear deaths in some states, as hundreds have been euthanized, run over, shot, and even electrocuted as they interact with humans.
