Video Shows Bear Breaking Into California Cabin and Living There Comfortably For 10 Days, Causing Mayhem
The owners were on vacation, so the bear moved in.
Video footage taken in Tulare County, California shows a gigantic bear repeatedly breaking into a house and making itself at home. The owners of the house were on vacation when the bear decided to invade the premises and help itself to food. Security cameras show the bear happily feasting on food in the kitchen and causing chaos. "I live in California Hot Springs and when I was away for vacation a bear broke in five times in ten days and eating, resting, and playing in my home," the owners said. Here's what the footage showed.
The cabin owners say they were on vacation and left the house empty for ten days. A local bear broke in five times over that period and caused absolute havoc in the house. Footage shows the bear going through the kitchen, eating absolutely anything it can get its paws on and causing a giant mess. At one point, the bear even lies down in the kitchen, surrounded by food, and appears to be taking a catnap. Keep reading to learn more and see the video.
Bears breaking into homes in California is not an unusual event: One 500-pound black bear known locally as Yogi, Chunky, Hank the Tank, Jake, or The Big Guy broke into 30 Lake Tahoe homes in seven months in search of food. "He's on a mission. You can tell he likes to eat," says Ann Bryant, who oversees the advocacy group Bear League. "The Big Guy likes to eat where it's easy to get food, and he doesn't like to forage."
"I would love to see this guy go to a sanctuary," says Katherine Borges, a long-time South Lake Tahoe resident. "Everybody wants the bear to be someplace else. Most people love our bears and we don't want to kill them." Efforts to trap the bear have so far been unsuccessful. "Adult bears may be poor candidates for placement [in a sanctuary] due to the chronic stress of adjusting to captivity after living in only wild conditions," says the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Some locals think the Tahoe bear should just be left alone. "To kill the bear because we didn't secure our own garbage just rubs everyone the wrong way," says Brooke Laine (who doesn't live in the same neighborhood as the bear). "The bears just got used to having plentiful food at their disposal… We care how we treat wildlife. We care about that deeply. We do everything we can as citizens to protect our environment. Euthanizing a bear that is not harmful to humans is a disservice to wildlife."
"Black bear encounters resulting in human injury are rare in California, but can occur. Bears – like most animals – can be unpredictable," says the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Most black bear attacks are defensive in nature because it has been startled or scared, or protecting cubs. In some cases, a food conditioned, or habituated bear may become too bold and act aggressively towards people. Each situation is different. Prevention is the key."
