On US woman’s request, bear closes front door of her house; video goes viral
For people living in various parts of the US, encountering wild bears is not that uncommon. However, one woman living in a secluded area in New Jersey not only befriended one, but also captured the moment when the carnivore closed her front door with its mouth.
Vernon resident Susan Kehoe heard some strange noises from outside her house and wanted to check if it was raining. When she opened the door, she saw a familiar face – a black bear standing on her front porch. But what happened next has left people amused, something you have to see to believe.
In the clip, the unfazed woman addresses the animal as ‘Mr Bear’ and politely asks, “Will you please close my door?” Believe it or not, the animal obliged and was seen backing away while trying to shut the door by pulling its knob.
“You have to finish closing it, sweetie, the cold air is coming in,” the woman is heard saying as the animal begins to shut the door, but not all the way at first. “Close the door, sweetie. Thank you,” she adds as the animal completes the task upon a few more polite requests.
Watch the video here:
“Bears are damn smart! This bear learned how to close the front door to my house,” Kehoe wrote on YouTube sharing the clip. Kehoe who has been sharing videos of bears in the backyard for years, often uses her platform to advocate for the well-being of wild animals in the woods, but has also courted controversies.
In 2010, she was sentenced to a year’s probation and was fined $1,250 after interfering with state biologists who were attempting to tranquilise a bear so they could change its radio collar, according to nj.com. Two years later, the news outlet also reported she was found not guilty of intentionally feeding black bears.
Although her rapport with the wild animals seems to be pretty cordial, wildlife authorities in the state have urged residents not to venture near the animals or feed them. “Residents are encouraged to work within their community to make sure all garbage is secured and kept away from bears,” the Division of Fish & Wildlife, NJ states.