Woman Shocked to Find Black Bear Hibernating Under Porch: 'Dog Was Scared'

What would you do if you discovered that a bear was living under your porch? This was the conundrum facing TikTok user Tyler Dashukewich, who lives in Plainville, Connecticut, when she peeked under her deck using the camera on her cell phone, only to discover a gigantic black bear relaxing.

The video is captioned "When you find out why your dog has been scared going outside" and has been viewed nearly 11 million times, with 2 million likes.

One user commented: "Give him a blanket and a little blue bear and house him in your garage. He looks so sweet."

How Many Black Bears are There in Connecticut?

Adult male black bears can weigh between 130 to 660 pounds and can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Many people, both foreign and domestic tourists, travel to America every year to catch a glimpse of bears, but not too long ago, seeing a black bear in Connecticut was unlikely as they were killed off in the state by the mid-1800s.

According to the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, (DEEP), black bears have been making a comeback. In the 1980s, the DEEP Wildlife Division found evidence of a native black bear population in Connecticut. In 2021, it reported an approximate number of 8,600 bear sightings from 156 of Connecticut's 169 towns.

"Connecticut has a healthy and increasing bear population with the highest concentration in the northwest region of the state," reads the DEEP website.

Black bears typically hibernate from November/December to March/April. However, some wildlife experts believe that rising global temperatures lead some bears to come out of hibernation earlier despite a lack of adequate food. According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, with a shift in climate and shortening winters in the Northeast, "scientists and wildlife experts are seeing cases where black bears are waking up earlier, sometimes before adequate food sources are available. Without reliable food sources in the wild, bears then turn to residential areas, putting them at risk of being hit by cars, shot, or other detrimental interactions with humans."

Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat plants and animals. According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife, 80 percent of a black bear's diet consists of plants, fruit and nuts, and the other 20 percent is made up of insects, fish and other small mammals.

Bear Update

In a follow-up video, Tyler Dashukewich said DEEP gave her three options for the bear: "One leave him there for three months until hibernation is over, pour hot water on him and blow air horns, go under the deck and pull him out myself."

"Oh hell no, " she added.

How Did TikTok React?

Most TikTok users were thrilled at the appearance of the bear with one user saying, "look at his little fluffy face he is so cubby omg my flipping heart can't take his cuteness." Another said: "I would totally start feeding it. I wouldn't trust it but maybe I could get it to trust me a little."

Another user have a different reaction, "uhm. bear. that's a bear. under your porch. there's a FREAKING BEAR under your PORCH."

Newsweek has reached out to Tyler Dashukewich for comment.

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