National

These eight bears wandered into residential areas

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

From young bears breaking into homes to secure food and trash cans, to more playful interactions captured on camera, these stories reflect a recurring theme of bears increasingly coming into contact with human environments.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

Two black bears visited a Florida panhandle home and took a sniff around at a chair and a water bowl before returning to the dark, a Ring camera video shows.

NO. 1: ‘FLOCK OF BEARS’ INVESTIGATES WATER BOWL OUTSIDE FLORIDA HOME. SEE THEM SNOOP

“There is nowhere else that I would rather live!” the homeowner said. | Published March 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Irene Wright

Wildlife lovers are “distraught” after a longtime South Lake Tahoe resident shot and killed a young bear.

NO. 2: YOUNG BEAR KILLED BREAKING INTO CA HOME, OFFICIALS SAY. NOW NEIGHBORS ARE ‘DISTRAUGHT’

“This is horrible. Not easy to read or move on from. How could anyone do such a thing? I’m dumbfounded.” | Published May 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

A hungry bear spent an afternoon roaming through backyards in a Utah neighborhood in the foothills, video shows.

NO. 3: BLACK BEAR ROAMS THROUGH BACKYARDS IN UTAH NEIGHBORHOOD, HOME VIDEO SHOWS

“I was very frightened. I think I screamed. I was going to video it, but then I forgot to turn the button on. That’s how scared I was.” | Published October 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

Alabama bear stands on hind legs, rolls away trash can in “human-like” fashion.

NO. 4: BEAR STANDS ON HIND LEGS AND WHEELS AWAY HOME’S TRASH CAN TO ENJOY. SEE THE VIDEO

The Alabama homeowner said bear sightings are common, but she’s never seen a bear act this “human-like” before. | Published October 31, 2024 | Read Full Story by Natalie Demaree

A bear family was relocated after getting into a garage and venturing into heavily populated areas in Arizona.

NO. 5: MAMA BEAR AND CUB RELOCATED AFTER GETTING INTO GARAGE IN ARIZONA. SEE THEM RUN FREE

“Outstanding!!” | Published November 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

A homeowner shot and killed a bear (not the one pictured) after he found it destroying livestock, California officials say.

NO. 6: HOMEOWNER WHO KILLED BEAR ON HIS PROPERTY WON’T BE CHARGED, CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS SAY

The bear visited the mountain property multiple times, officials say. | Published November 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

A black bear (not the one pictured) was euthanized after biting a man multiple times in Northern California, sheriff’s deputies said.

NO. 7: YOUNG BEAR KILLED AFTER ENTERING GARAGE, IDAHO OFFICIALS SAY. ‘AVOIDABLE SITUATION’

The 100-pound animal also tried to get into a home, officials said. | Published November 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Helena Wegner

A bear tried to eat a Ring camera in Colorado, leaving homeowners with a video of the inside of its mouth.

NO. 8: BEAR TRIES TO EAT CAMERA AND LEAVES CO HOMEOWNERS WITH ‘CRAZIEST RING CAMERA VIDEO’

“OMG seeing the inside of a bear’s mouth was not what I was expecting.” | Published November 26, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.