Bears of summer: 10 mischievous, scary encounters
Here are some of our favorite bear antics from this summer.
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A bear at the Memphis Zoo took chill vibes to the next level, kicking back in a wheelbarrow like it was a five-star lounge chair.
Sept. 24 (UPI) -- The National Parks Service is celebrating its annual Fat Bear Week this week, but the bears have been out all summer having fun and causing mischief.
As the weather turns warmer, brown and black bears alike start emerging from their dens, looking to make up for lost time while in hibernation. They love a good dip in the pool, showing off their adorable new cubs and, most of all, are always in search of their next snack.
Huck the grizzly bear scouts the area in the Grizzly Hollow at the Saint Louis Zoo in 2017. Every summer, bears come out of hibernation, and their drive for food often lands them in some mischievous situations. (Photo Credit: Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo)
Here are some of our favorite bear antics from this summer:
Springtime means new life for many animal species, and bears are no different. Sometimes, though, these babies need a little human help to make up for a rough start in life.
The San Diego Humane Society took in one such black bear cub in April. At 2 months old, he needed some extra attention and round-the-clock feedings.
To keep the cub from bonding too closely to his human caretakers, workers at the rescue dressed in bear costumes during feeding time. This will make it more likely that the bear can lately be successfully released into the wild.
It's not just American bears that get up to hijinks. A pair of 5-year-old European brown bears escaped their enclosures at a British wildlife park in June.
They were never a danger to the public, but the two bears -- Mish and Lucy -- made their way to their food storage area. There, they "enjoyed a selection of snacks -- including a week's worth of honey -- before being safely returned to their enclosure by the expert keeper team within the hour."
A whole family of bears -- a mother bear and her three cubs -- broke into a Connecticut home in July. The four bears raided the family's pantry, stole some food and absconded before authorities could arrive.
Residents were inside the home at the time, but they were unharmed by the hungry bears.
Kraken vs. bear
What started as a light-hearted day of fly fishing in Alaska for members of the Seattle Kraken hockey team ended in a bit of a scare when some bears got involved.
In particular, some brown bears at Katmai National Park became a little too interested in the Kraken's mascot, Buoy the sea troll.
A video shared by the NHL team social media account, one of the bears charges at Buoy as team members rush to exit the river. Luckily, the bear veered away before getting too close to the mascot.
TROLL NARROWLY ESCAPES BEAR ENCOUNTER
*no trolls or bears were hurt in the making, always respect wildlife in their natural habitat pic.twitter.com/WBvw9RFkS0— Buoy (@SEAbuoy) July 31, 2025
Pomeranian vs. bear
A bear attempted another home break-in in British Columbia, but this time its efforts were foiled by a 6-pound Pomeranian, Scout.
The owner of the home caught the encounter on her home security camera. The video showed the bear wandering through a door in the home that the owner had left open due to the day's high heat.
Back in Connecticut, a homeowner caught video of a bear getting in a little exercise in her backyard pool. The bear can be seen swimming laps in the pool for several minutes before getting out and wandering away in August.
The resident said it's common for bears to visit the pool during the hot summer months. In fact, there had been 51 bear sightings in the town -- Newington -- that summer.
A home security camera caught another bear break-in in August -- this time involving a truck and some sunflower seeds.
The video, recorded in Petersham, Mass., shows a black bear rooting around in the covered bed of a pickup truck. The bear manages to find a large bag of sunflower seeds and has a little snack.
A bear in Los Padres National Forest in California managed to kick open the front door of a family's home and have himself a little feast.
The homeowners, who caught the act on home security cameras, said the bear spent about an hour going in and out of the house, taking snacks. He feasted on dog food, cookies, a container of turbinado sugar and a bag of chips. He didn't care for the Worcestershire sauce he managed to snag, though.
One young Florida bear decided to check out some new digs at an apartment complex in Orlando, presumably after separating from its mother.
Residents at the complex reported seeing the black bear wandering about the premises, spending some time lingering in stairwells in September.
Local wildlife officials were monitoring the area with plans to relocate the bear.
A black bear in Kentucky got into the school spirit earlier this month after coming across some confetti-filled balloons. A Kentucky man said he tied up the balloons at the foot of his driveway to celebrate the local high school football season.
The balloons caught the attention of a curious bear, who popped one, sending confetti showering all around them. The bear showed further interest in the other balloons, but ultimately left without popping them.
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