Bold bear chases family and their pets from home, then cleans out their refrigerator

A mom in Connecticut is reporting she and her 5-month-old daughter were chased from their home last week by a young bear in pursuit of its next meal, according to TV station WFSB.

State officials confirmed the bizarre incident, telling TV station WTNH the bear burst in through a back door of the Barkhamsted home June 28, walked past the mother and child, then proceeded to dig through the refrigerator, cabinets and pantry.

"I probably froze for just a second in disbelief because I couldn't believe it was actually coming in," Emily Humphrey told WFSB. "It hit the door hard and (it) swung open, so I grabbed (my daughter) and went with the dogs."

The Connecticut State Police arrived just in time to see a bear walking out of the house, TV station WVIT reported.

Officers shot at the bear with non-lethal bean bags, in an effort to get it to leave the neighborhood, reported the Hartford Currant. The bear is believed to be 16 to 18 months old, and only did minor damage to the kitchen with its claws, the newspaper reported.

A similar bear burglary was reported in April in the Highland Falls area of western North Carolina.

However, the bear ended up shot and killed after it broke in through the garage door and came face to face with an armed man waiting in side the house.

The bear had at least one cub found wandering outside the home, and it was taken to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s orphan cub rehabilitation program.

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 1:50 PM.