Enormous Bear Caught Stealing From Bird Feeder in Massachusetts Home

We are often told to put our bird feeders away during bear season, and with good reason.

A woman in Western Massachusetts got a bit of a shock after catching sight of an enormous black bear stealing from a bird feeder on her porch. Gina, who lives in the Berkshires, shared footage of the incident to social media and said that it was "time to bring the bird feeder in."

"This bear has visited me about once or twice a year for the last two years since I've had a house in the Berkshires," Gina told Newsweek. "I got a place there during the pandemic after only living in NYC and other cities for nearly my entire life. I certainly had to get used to living in bear country and have learned the hard and expensive way that if I accidentally leave my feeder out into 'coming-out-of-hibernation-season' this bear will know."

In the footage, Gina can be heard telling the black bear to "get down" as he balanced from her porch railing. When he hears her shouting, he sheepishly slides down and runs through her yard.

The second half of the video shows the bear eyeing up her hammock.

"Bears are fairly common around the area, but they are not aggressive and keep to themselves and are mostly seen in the early months of spring when they are very hungry post-hibernation," Gina said. "The way he obeys me is a good example of how black bears behave if they are not threatened or if their cubs aren't around."

There are thought to be over 4,500 black bears across the state, according to the state's Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Bears have an excellent sense of smell and can smell food from over 5 miles away, which often draws them to people's property.

The week after the incident—which happened in late April—the bear was back looking for more. "My neighbors had left their rubbish bin out, and the bear ran through my yard with it in his mouth, took the bag out from inside of it and disappeared into the forest behind my house," Gina said.

The original video has received over 3.5 million views on TikTok and thousands of comments.

"That bear has some good balance," said one user.

"Take down all your feeders, or he'll be back with friends," said another.

To keep bears off your property, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife recommends putting away bird feeders during the spring and summer, securing trash and removing any other attractants like pet food, fallen fruit and greasy barbecue grills.