Doorbell Camera Films Hungry Bears Breaking Into Home Before Raiding Fridge

A family of bears caused carnage at a family home in Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania, this week while looking for a snack.

In footage captured by the family's Ring security camera, the bears are seen breaking into the home before heading to the kitchen for a snack.

The only bear found in Pennsylvania is the black bear. While not as aggressive as the brown grizzly, the omnivorous animals can weigh up to 700 pounds and can cause some real problems.

While heavy, these big bears are surprisingly agile and can run up to 35 miles per hour, climb trees, and are strong swimmers. A population estimate in 2015 reported around 20,000 bears living in Pennsylvania.

It's no surprise these bears were on the lookout for a snack, either. During late summer and fall, black bears are fattening up ready for their winter hibernation, and can actively feed for up to 20 hours a day ingesting up to 20,000 calories.

Luckily, these bears were captured on camera entering the home thanks to the family's security doorbell. The homeowner Jonathan Costanzo said: "If I didn't have Ring, the bear and the cubs would have destroyed the house and probably would have been sleeping in my bed when I got home. I'm thankful I had my Ring doorbell camera. I was able to call security and game warden right away after my Ring went off."

Despite helping themselves to the contents of the fridge and leaving a mess on the floor, luckily there was no real damage caused by the bears, and no one was injured.

Last October a bear in North Carolina decided to take a nap after snacking on some pumpkins left out for Halloween, leaving the internet in stitches.

After seeing the uninvited guests on their doorbell camera, the homeowner called security and game wardens who set traps to catch the bears.

"The bears did come back the next day, but I locked the window where they entered," said Costanzo in comments circulated by Ring owner Amazon.

"The game warden put a huge bear trap in my driveway and caught the bear and 2 out of 3 cubs and relocated them. My community put out a statement about the incident, telling residents that the bear was caught."

The animals have since been safely relocated to an undisclosed secluded location by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission does have some advice if you live near bears: "Black bears will eat human food, garbage, bird feed, pet foods, fruits from trees or gardens and livestock feed. They also raid cornfields and beehives. Once bears find easily accessible food sources, whether on a farm or in a housing development, they will keep coming back as long as food is available."

"With every returning trip they slowly lose their fear of people, which can lead to bolder attempts at accessing food, and as time spent near people increases, so does the risk of being struck by a vehicle or becoming a more serious nuisance," warns the Pennsylvania Game Commission: "The best way to get rid of these unwanted visitors is to remove or secure food sources. A persistent bear may damage property, increase the risk of human injury, or become an unwanted visitor in other parts of the neighborhood. And, all too often, fed bears become dead bears."

UPDATE 09/28/22, 03:02 a.m. ET: Image credits updated and name of homeowner added.