A Connecticut man chased a black bear out of his kitchen this weekend — only for the bear to break into his house again the next day.
Bill Priest was working outside his home in West Hartford on Sunday, and when he returned inside, he discovered a black bear hanging out in his kitchen.
The bear didn’t damage anything, although it was apparently helping itself to a bag of marshmallows and munching on other snacks, according to a report from NBC affiliate WECT News 6.
“I mean, I don’t care, run around the yard all you want, but now you’ve crossed the line,” Priest told NBC Connecticut.
He managed to shoo the bear out of his home, but before long, Priest and his family received a second unwelcome visit.
Early Monday morning, a bear that Priest believes was the same animal knocked through a screen door and attempted to break in through the front door.
After that second break-in attempt, Priest called the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Wildlife officials have now set up a humane trap for the bear with the hopes of capturing and tagging the animal and then safely releasing it. Perhaps appealing to the bear’s sweet tooth, the trap is baited with donuts, according to WECT.
These were not the family’s first encounters with a black bear. Priest said that a few days earlier, a bear tried to break into his garage refrigerator.
The Priest family isn't alone in its encounters with bears. NBC Connecticut shared footage of a bear digging in a dumpster at a condominium complex in Simsbury, a town located in Hartford County.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shared several tips on Facebook for guarding your home against a bear invasion, including storing garbage in airtight containers, keeping barbecue grills clean, and removing bird feeders from outside the home between March and November.