Bear Takes Ride On Top Of Garbage Truck To Police Station In Pennsylvania
KIDDER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CNN/WNEP) -- A bear went for the loot inside a garbage truck in Pennsylvania and took a little ride in the process. In Kidder Township, Officer Vincent Murrow says bear complaints are up this year.
"It's been pretty frequent, almost daily that we're getting a new bear complaint in the area," Murrow said.
Bear Complaint this morning. He managed to come right to the police station on the garbage truck...
Posted by Kidder Township Police on Wednesday, September 30, 2020
The most recent example is when a bear arrived at the Kidder Township Police Department on the back of a garbage truck.
"And we can only assume it was sick of going for the small amount of trash in the garbage pails and went for the big prize," Murrow said.
In July, another bear in Kidder Township made its way into a car and ate all of the food in the back seat.
Katherine Uhler of the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center says bears are usually out and about this year. And since it's right before hibernation, they're usually hungry.
"Each bear is eating about 20,000 calories a day, which is about 10 times more than you and I eat," Uhler said. "So they're moving around a lot and they're very hungry."
According to Uhler, the pandemic is also contributing to their movements.
"Part of it is because of COVID, people are outside a lot and that moves bears around, so there are a lot of bear sightings."
If you see a bear, experts say, do not get close.
Uhler says, put your garbage out only on garbage day and do not leave food outside. Bears can smell food up to a mile away.
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