Young bear opens door at Colorado home
Homeowner in Steamboat Springs, Colorado caught a few bear visitors at the home
A Colorado homeowner has captured a video of a bear opening his property’s front door in a human-like manner.
The footage, taken in the northern Colorado city of Steamboat Springs, involved two young black bear cubs, according to TMX News.
The video shows one of the bears getting onto its hind legs before using its paw to turn the handle of the home’s front door.
As the bear starts walking backward to open the door – with its partner looking on – the homeowner starts banging on a nearby window to scare the animals off.
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A bear is seen opening the front door of a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. (Kari Bumgarner/AMAZING ANIMALS+/TMX )
After glancing in the homeowner’s direction, the bear released its grip on the door handle and started walking away.
The other young bear lingered near the door for a few moments before it, too, walked off.
A second video taken by the homeowner later showed the two cubs walking around the property next to its larger mother.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) says on its website that "Black bears have lived in the foothills and forests of Colorado since long before the pioneers arrived.
"Today black bears are trying to share space with an ever-growing human population," it added. "With many more people living and playing in bear country, human-bear encounters are on the rise."
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The bear is seen backing away from the front door of the home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, after the homeowner banged on a window. (Kari Bumgarner/AMAZING ANIMALS+/TMX )
To prevent such encounters, CPW says "Don’t feed bears, and don’t put out food for other wildlife that attracts bears," "Burn food off barbeque grills and clean after each use" and "Keep all bear-accessible windows and doors closed and locked, including home, garage and vehicle doors."
"If a bear comes near your home, do your best to chase it away," it also said. "Yell, blow a whistle, clap your hands, and make other loud noises. But never approach a bear."
The emergence of the homeowner’s video comes as a hunter in nearby Wyoming is facing up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted of killing a federally protected grizzly bear outside Yellowstone National Park.
That hunter, Patrick Gogerty, of Cody, allegedly claimed he mistook the 530-pound grizzly for a legal-to-hunt black bear, according to The Associated Press.
Gogerty now faces a charge of chilling a grizzly bear without a license, which is a misdemeanor.
The young bear's larger mother was seen on the property in Colorado as well. (Kari Bumgarner/AMAZING ANIMALS+/TMX )
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Elsewhere, in Florida, a young black bear that was found wandering around Orlando neighborhoods was fatally struck by a car in late April, officials said.
"In this situation, attempts were made to try and trap the bear for relocation, but the bear continued to be on the move," the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement.
Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.