A Naples, Florida, homeowner is rethinking her open-gate policy after a six-foot black bear raided her outdoor refrigerator for an alcoholic drink over the weekend.
Celine Emerson, a Naples resident, told local station WSVN that she first realized something was wrong when she spotted her patio fridge standing open. “I turned around and saw the refrigerator was open, and I was like, I yelled at my husband, you know, ‘Can you check the cameras?'” she said in the interview.
What the footage revealed left her stunned. The bear had slipped through an unlocked gate and made itself at home on her back patio, helping itself to refreshments after an appetizer of trash.
The animal had already spent half an hour in her front yard before moving to the main event. “It ate the trash in the front yard for 30 minutes. I figured he was thirsty,” Emerson quipped to WSVN.
Emerson estimated the furry intruder stood about six feet tall when it rose on its hind legs, a sight that rattled her composure. “Oh, it was just crazy, it was so unusual to see it, like, so close to us,” she recalled. “It was a little scary seeing him out here, and then when he stood up, he looked pretty tall, like 6 feet,” she added.
The morning after the break-in, Emerson discovered the bear had left behind a calling card: a large paw print on her counter.
The encounter has prompted a security rethink for the household. “We don’t close it when we leave, come and go at nighttime,” Emerson admitted about the gate. “So maybe that, as our granddaughter gets older, obviously, you know, we’re going to be a little more cautious with things like that,” she said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission notes that bears typically increase their food intake during fall to build fat reserves for winter hibernation, which can lead to more human encounters. Black bears are found in several areas across the Sunshine State, with an estimated population of around 4,000.
Emerson described her reaction to the close encounter as a mix of fear and disbelief at the animal’s boldness and size.