Montana homeowners were stunned when they arrived back at home after an outing to discover a black bear rummaging around inside their house looking for food.
The incident took place on June 23, when a young black bear managed to pry open a window and enter the house, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said Monday.
"Despite the homeowners’ efforts to bear-proof their property, the bear was able to pry open a window and enter the house,” wildlife officials said in a news release. "The people were not home when the bear entered."
The homeowners contacted wildlife officials who trapped and euthanized the bear, as is standard protocol when bears enter homes as their behavior "could be dangerous to humans and the bears."
There have been several bears spotted roaming around the town of Red Lodge, Montana, and officials believe the increased activity may be related to the drought.
"FWP bear specialists expect the lack of spring moisture could affect berry crops, leading both black and grizzly bears to seek out easy food sources near homes," wildlife officials said. "If those bears find nothing to eat around homes and businesses, they will move elsewhere."
This is not an isolated incident. Although uncommon, bears have been known to enter homes for food and shelter.
In April, a bear wandered into a house in Duarte and ransacked the kitchen. The family was home at the time and forced to hide out until it left, according to NBC Los Angeles.
"He went through my whole pantry. He ate prunes and the cat food. A big thing of trail mix, he ate the whole thing of trail mix," said Barbara Rogers.
In March, a family of bears took up temporary residence at a Kings Beach home in California. They were able to enter by peeling the siding off the house, according to the Sacramento Bee. The bears broke a gas line when the owners weren’t there, but fortunately a neighbor noticed and called 911.
"This is a friendly reminder to keep your homes, windows, sliding doors, and cars locked at all times, and to make sure no remnants of food or food wrappers are left in areas accessible by bears," the Placer County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet.
It is also important for residents to secure garbage cans in bear-proof containers as the animals can smell food from 20 miles away, the sheriff's office added.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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