Bear Helps Itself to a Cold One After Wandering Onto Florida Homeowner’s Patio

A Florida homeowner recently had an unexpected visitor. The homeowner told WSVN that she realized something was wrong when she discovered her refrigerator door standing open.   

But what was more shocking than realizing that there was another presence at the property was the fact that the intruder was actually a bear. Celine Emerson described the situation while talking to the outlet, saying she had to check the cameras to confirm the animal was the one behind the break-in.

What’s even crazier is the fact that the bear helped himself to a cold one while he was hanging out on Emerson’s patio, stealing an alcoholic beverage from the fridge before heading back out into the yard, where he made a mess of Emerson’s trash.

The homeowner said she learned a valuable lesson about bear-proofing her property after the break-in and says she won’t leave her home unsecured again. 

Bear Breaks Into Florida Home

Emerson described the moments the bear entered her Naples home while speaking with the outlet. “I turned around and saw the refrigerator was open, and I was like, I yelled at my husband, you know, ‘Can you check the cameras,'” Emerson recalled.

She said it was “crazy” and unusual to see the bear on the camera. “It was a little scary seeing him out here, and then when he stood up, he looked pretty tall, like 6 feet,” she continued.

The bear seemed to make himself at home, stealing a drink from the fridge before spending 30 minutes in the yard rummaging through trash. “I figured he was thirsty,” she said of the beverage.

The Gate Was Left Open

When it comes to how the bear managed to get onto the property, Emerson blamed an unlatched gate. “We don’t close it when we leave, come and go at nighttime, so maybe that, as our granddaughter gets older, obviously, you know, we’re going to be a little more cautious with things like that,” she said.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, black bears are the most common bears found in the state. Like many other bears, they experience a form of hibernation in the winter months. With the Sunshine State being a little warmer during the winter, the experience is more like a torpor than a true winter hibernation, and they don’t sleep as deeply or as long as bears in the north. 

This means the bear may have been fueling up ahead of the denning season, looking for extra calories so that it can remain full and satisfied during the winter months when it’s less active.