A Florida couple has shared startling footage of two black bears attempting to enter their home through the front door on Christmas morning.
Marlene Stark, from Sanford, got a notification from her Ring Doorbell that someone was at the door that morning, but she assumed it was a friend stopping by to say hello.
But when she got to the front door, she looked out and saw a pair of bears waiting outside, with one standing on its hind legs and pawing at the door handle.
A Florida couple has shared startling footage of two black bears attempting to enter their home through the front door on Christmas morning
Marlene Stark, from Sanford, got a notification from her Ring Doorbell that someone was at the door that morning, but she assumed it was a friend stopping by to say hello. It was bears
She shared footage of the incident with Fox News, showing two bears — an adult and a cub — sniffing around the porch.
‘We just heard the Ring front door go off and went to check and saw the bears,’ she said.
‘Our neighborhood is down the road from Black Bear Wilderness Preserve, so bears are common, and we have seen them in the neighborhood.
‘The startling part was this was the first time I ever saw one try to open the front door. The front door was locked though, thank goodness.’
She also told Fox 35 Orlando, ‘We didn’t know it was bears initially. So, we ran to the front door and said, “Oh my goodness,” and then we immediately threw the bolt lock.
‘I had no idea that they had that capability to open the front door. So, I’m glad it was locked.’
The bears spent some time in front of the door, and the cub also investigated some of Marlene’s potted plants on the patio before they both eventually turned around and left.
Marlene said she was baffled as to why the animals tried to get in her home in the first place.
‘I had no idea that they had that capability to open the front door. So, I’m glad it was locked,’ she said
The cub also investigated some of Marlene’s potted plants on the patio before they both eventually turned around and left
Marlene lives near a Black Bear Wilderness Preserve, so it’s not uncommon to see them in that area – however, she’s never had one try to come inside before
‘I’ve seen all kings of things [like], “You must’ve been coking something and they’re hungry.” I was just making a roast, the pan was covered,’ she explained. ‘It wasn’t outside, so I don’t know.’
Back in September 2020, a Colorado woman named Charlene Bixler went viral after she shared a clip online that showed a baby bear trying to get into her home.
‘Our little visitor yesterday,’ she captioned the clip, which showed the cub scratching on her glass sliding door.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, bears have super sensitive noses and try to enter homes if they smell food.
‘If a bear comes into your yard or close to your home, do yourself and the bear a big favor, and scare it away,’ it said on its website.
‘A confident attitude plus loud noises like a firm yell, clapping your hands, banging on pots and pans or blowing an air horn sends most bears running.
‘If a bear enters your home, open doors and windows and make sure it can leave the same way it got in. Don’t approach the bear or block escape routes.’