People in Asheville, North Carolina, are dealing with an unusual kind of burglar. According to WYFF4, a bear has been making the rounds in a neighborhood north of downtown Asheville. The animal managed to get into one woman’s home back in August, injuring the homeowner as the female bear swatted at her while leaving.
Now, the bear is blamed for trying to break into several other homes in the region, and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) says that she poses a threat to human safety. As such, the organization is working to catch and “humanely dispatch” the bear.
However, it isn’t having much luck. The bear has attempted to break into three other homes since that first incident, and the NCWRC believes that she may also be the bear blamed for another attempted break-in at a different location. The NCWRC says it can confirm it has been the same bear those first four times thanks to the animal’s unusual markings. But it sounds like the organization is still trying to get more details about the fifth incident before confirming.
Officials are taking this situation seriously, since the bear doesn’t appear to be afraid of people. Not only could that create a dangerous situation right now, but the NCWRC says it can also lead to even more dangerous situations in the future since her cubs are likely learning not to be afraid as well.
The First Attack Happened on Spooks Branch Road
According to WYFF4, the bear broke into the first home by entering through an unlocked door back in August. Reports of the incident prompted the NCWRC to put bear traps out near the property, but the bear didn’t turn back up.
Instead, the outlet says the bear was responsible for two more attempted break-ins within 24 hours of injuring the first homeowner. Then, last weekend, the bear struck again, putting NCWRC staff on high alert.
“She is not afraid of people, causing extensive property damage, and has forcibly entered homes of residents that have no evidence of unsecured trash or other unsecured attractants outdoors,” a spokesperson for NCWRC told the outlet. “She has learned that all homes have food inside. This bear not only poses a risk to human safety, but she is teaching her cubs the same dangerous and unnatural behavior.”
NCWRC Officials Have Captured Two of Her Cubs
Sadly, NCWRC says that the mama bear is teaching her babies some bad habits, so they caught two of her cubs three cubs and evaluated them to see if they were old enough to live on their own. Once they determined that they could survive without their mother, the cubs were relocated to a more rural area where they will be able to grow up truly wild.
“Moving these cubs also disrupts the generational cycle of adult females teaching their cubs to depend on humans for food, which results in cubs growing up and repeating the adult female’s behavior of forcible home break-ins,” Mountain Operations Supervisor James Tomberlin told the outlet.
Bear Attacks Are Rare in North Carolina
While this mama bear is clearly quite active right now, North Carolina Wildlife says that black bears are relatively shy and not aggressive toward humans. In fact, the agency says that there’s never been an unprovoked black bear attack in the state.
However, that doesn’t mean that bears won’t get a little too close for comfort, especially when they are in search of food, which is exactly what NCWRC officials believe is happening with this mama bear.