The Neighborhood Bear

A couple of days ago, a huge black bear visited our neighborhood in the early afternoon. One of the rental homes had their trash can stowed in a shed behind the garage that had a flimsy plywood door with no lock, and the bear figured out how to get in. Neighbors watched as the bear systematically dragged one plastic bag at a time out of the trash can onto the lawn, ripped it open and ate anything remotely edible inside. After a big meal, the bear went for a swim in a nearby pond and lumbered off.

Meanwhile the yard maintenance crew working in the area changed their schedule to work on the other side neighborhood to stay well out of the bear's way. Once it was gone, the crew cleaned up the mess. The rental company was notified, as were the current renters. They moved the trash can into the garage, and the shed will be rebuilt stronger and with a bearproof lock. The bear, in the meantime, was spotted the next day swimming in the pond again, probably after reconnoitering the area, looking for more easy food pickings. We all hope our neighbors are keeping their trash secure, because while it was a beautiful and magnificent animal, we prefer the bear stick to wild food and move out of neighborhood.

Here are some photos my husband took of the bear--with a telephoto lens, of course. In the first photo, that's a large hot tub behind the bear, which gives you an idea of its size.