Homeowner’s daughter stumbles upon bear feasting inside house

SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (KCAL) – A family in southern California got quite a surprise when they discovered a break-in at their home. But it wasn’t a burglar that ransacked their things – it was a bear.

Clement Mapanda said a hungry bear made himself at home inside his Sierra Madre house Wednesday morning while he was at work.

He pointed out the broken jars of syrups and half-eaten fruit the bear left behind in the kitchen, including sticky footprints.

“It looks like the baby had a sampler platter,” Mapanda joked. “Hmmm, a little here, a little there. Maybe some of this – not feeling that.”

His daughter Chelsea first found the mess from the 100-200 lbs. black bear when she got home around 2 a.m.

“I saw the refrigerator door open from my window because we have windows that just showcase the kitchen. I went right back to my car because I was not going to investigate,” Chelsea said, adding that she called the Sierra Madre Police Department.

Officers soon realized it wasn’t an ordinary intruder when they heard wild animal noises, so they called officers from Fish and Wildlife Services for help.

Chelsea said she had been warned a bear was spotted around the neighborhood, and her dad even had to chase a bear away at his house last year.

“I was sitting on the patio outside and it was walking toward the pool, so I said, ‘Hey, not in my pool, please,’” Mapanda said.

Bears have become such frequent visitors in the area that the city declared them a public safety threat. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was asked to increase its bear prevention efforts last April.

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