Bear Intrudes Colorado Home, Finds Breakfast in the Kitchen

A Colorado family had an unusual start to their day in July when they found a bear in their kitchen enjoying a morning meal. Security cameras captured the bear’s entry into the Colorado Springs home on July 21.

Nerissa England shared the experience with Storyful, describing how she heard a noise that morning. Thinking it was unrelated, she asked her children, aged 8, 6, and 3, if they were okay. They were playing upstairs. “I assumed it was a picture that had fallen off the wall,” England explained. Her curiosity-driven 8-year-old daughter, Zara Lee, went to check, followed by her husband who wanted coffee. To their surprise, a bear was inside, feasting on trash just outside their kitchen door.

“The animal entered through a back door left open for a breeze,” England mentioned. It then found Flintstones vitamins on a table, took a trash can outside, and rummaged near the door.

Zara Lee and her father managed to scare the bear away by making noise and opening the door.

Bears have been entering homes across the U.S. more frequently. A dry winter reduced their natural food sources, like plants, grasses, berries, and nuts, which compose about 90% of their diet, according to Reuters. This food shortage is driving bears toward human habitats, resulting in increased conflicts and bear deaths.

England conveyed a resolution to keep their door shut for a while, anticipating local bears’ hibernation period. The incident highlights a growing issue of wildlife venturing into human environments due to changing natural conditions.