The always entertaining black bear.
Whether they’re breaking into houses and playing the piano or ripping apart a wild hog on a road side, these creatures always seems to be getting into something.
Black bears are the most populous bear in the country, with a confirmed breeding population in 41 states, according to Wildlife Informer, and while they tend to stay in heavily wooded areas, more and more are taking residence near people in search of food as communities spread out into formerly uninhabited areas.
Just recently we’ve seen black bear sightings outside of Chicago and DC, both very rare and caused quite a stir with local residents.
But even in areas where the bears are quite common, seeing one can be a real treat, like this homeowner in Elcho, Wisconsin saw last year.
They had left a birdfeeder hanging on a line as spring rolled around and an opportune black bear decided to see if he could climb out there and steal some seeds for a snack.
It starts from a tree the line is connected to before taking a leap of faith and grabbing the rope with both paws and holding on for dear life. It then used every bit of strength to hold its 250 pound body up on the line, shimmying its way to the birdfeeder. When the bear finally gets there, it grabs on and tries to pull it to the ground, but it slips out of its hands and slingshots out of reach.
The homeowner had this to say about seeing this unfold.
“Spring in northern Wisconsin means bears coming out of hibernation. We know we have to take down our bird feeders because the bears destroy them every year (usually during the night), but we don’t ever seem to get the memo that it is time. This was our first bear sighting this spring.
This black bear appears to be around 250 pounds and has woken up hungry. There was not much birdseed left in the feeder, but enough to make it worth a try! This bear came back multiple times that day, and the following days… maybe assuming there would be unlimited free refills!”
Obviously, the athletic ability this bear showed was incredible, but can we take a second to appreciate the structural integrity of the rope and its anchors to the tree? Talk about some solid equipment.
Sad that the bear wasn’t able to get a real meal for its efforts, but hey, maybe it lapped up some of the spilled seeds in the grass…
