Bear Makes Den Beneath Porch Of Md. Summer Home

SWANTON, Md. (AP) -- A house with a den is nice. But a house with a bear den is another story.

A Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist said Tuesday that a 327-pound black bear spent the winter hibernating under the back deck of a summer home at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland.

Clarissa Harris says the bear also gave birth to three cubs there.

She says the homeowner learned of the bear recently when he heard some strange noises while standing on his back porch.

Harris says the mother and cubs have been moved to a substitute den in the nearby Savage River State Forest.

She says the house is for sale, and prospective buyers might not consider a bear den an attractive feature.

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