Living in Alaska means that you have to deal with a few natural hazards! One of them is the grizzly bear. In the short clip below, we get to see an adult grizzly who seems to be remarkably comfortable around human houses. It methodically walks around the house looking for the best way in! Luckily the human residents of the house are used to this sort of situation and are making sure that all of the doors are locked. Why is this grizzly bear so interested in a human house?
Watch the Incredible Clip Below
Where Do Grizzly Bears Normally Live?
The grizzly bear (Ursus Arctos Horriblis) is a native species of North America. There are populations in western Canada as well as the US states of Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and as we see in this clip, Alaska.
They can adapt to life in several different habitats. Therefore, you will find them in and around coastal, boreal, and deciduous forests, and sub-alpine mountain regions. They need a large area to roam and hunt in. A male can need as much as 500 square miles, however, grizzly bear territories can overlap.
Grizzly bears normally live in or near forests.
©iStock.com/Jillian Cooper
What Do Grizzly Bears Normally Eat?
Food is the reason for this grizzly bear being so interested in the human house. Because they are omnivores, they will eat both plant and animal material. A lot of the time, they are happy to feed on berries, grasses, and roots. They supplement this with smaller animals such as insects and mice. However, they also hunt larger mammals including deer and elk. Grizzly bears are known to be very partial to fish and can become very efficient at catching fish from rivers and streams.
These are large animals who need to consume a lot of food. A single grizzly can put away around 90 pounds of food every day. Grizzlies have learned that humans are an excellent source of food. They have a fantastic sense of smell and can detect our waste food in garbage containers. Some of them have become very accustomed to stealing food from around human settlements. Unfortunately, this can bring them into conflict with their human neighbors who view them as a nuisance and as a threat to their safety. The humans in this clip dealt with the bear visitor in a calm and controlled way. Hopefully, the bear found a meal elsewhere!
Is it Normal for Grizzly Bears to Enter Homes?
Grizzly bears, like all bears, are food motivated, and one of the primary reasons they will enter a home is in search of calorie-rich food.
©mynewturtle/iStock via Getty Images
Bears, whether they are brown bears, like the grizzly in the video above, or black bears, are food-motivated and one of the primary reasons they will enter a home is in search of food. There is a significant benefit to them in the consumption of calorie-rich human food and although they would prefer to search through your trash containers outside the home, as many humans have gotten smarter in securing their garbage bins outside the house, bears have adapted to looking for food in other areas. It is normal for them to search in areas where they know they can find food.
These mammals are quite intelligent and will do what they can to get the reward, especially when they are hungry. They have been known to open door knobs, operate door locks, climb through windows, and depending on the strength of the door or window, will push it open. Most of the time, they are able to enter simply because the door or window was left unlocked, which is why if you live in an area known to have bears, it is always recommended to keep your doors and windows locked.
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Lubos Chlubny/Shutterstock.com
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