It is fairly common for people to find pests in their homes. Us humans aren't the only things that live on this Earth, after all, so critters are bound to invade our spaces whether we like it or not. When we talk about pests, we usually think about roaches, mice, ants, and other little buddies like that.
Some homeowners need to deal with bigger problems than simple roaches, mice, ants or bugs. There are hundreds of videos online of creatures like racoons sneaking in through the doggy doors to steal food from the kitchen. That would be quite a surprise when all you're trying to do is get a midnight snack.
All of the aforementioned creatures would be unwelcome guests in any home, but one family recently had one of the most intense house guests a person can have - a black bear. That's right. This family was in for the surprise of a lifetime when they found a black bear in their mud room.
Before we being, please know that no bears were harmed in the writing of this story. Last Friday a bear had to be tranquilized and sent packing after he snuck into a family's home in Butler Creek to take a nap in their mudroom. The bear had broken into the home and ended up locking himself inside, so he had no choice but to take a nap. The family caught the bear in the act and called the police at 5:45 am.
Jamie Jonkel is a wildlife management specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She said, "The door had been ajar. He must have tested it and stepped inside. It wasn't a full-fledged break in." You have to give it to the bear. At least he didn't break any windows to get inside.
According to the Sheriff's office via a Facebook post, the bear "began ripping the room apart" because it couldn't figure out how to get out. After going berserk for a while, the bear ended up climbing into the closet for a nap. Cpl. Zach Sargent and Deputy Andrew Beatty arrived first on the scene. The family had called the police when they awoke to the bears berserk rage inside the mudroom.
When the two officers arrived on the scene, they expected to see the bear somewhere on the floor. They were completely shocked when they looked up and saw the bear hiding in the closet. Sargent said, "When we first walked up and saw him in the closet, we just started laughing." The two officers opened the door and hoped the bear would come out, but the bear did not.
The two officers opened the door, but the bear had no intention of disturbing his nap. Beatty said, "I was assuming the bear would just come running out of there. He just went back to bed." The bear took one look at the officers and then yawned in response. The officers waited for some time, but after a while they needed to tranquilize the bear to relocate him. The bear wasn't harmed at all. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the bear was a three year old male who was just starting to venture out on his own. That's quite an embarrassing first outing.
According to wildlife experts in the area, this time of year has a lot of bear activity, so people need to be careful to get rid of anything that could attract the bears, including things like bird feeders.
