'Left syrup paw prints': Bears break into Nanaimo home, raid pantry while homeowners inside
A Nanaimo, B.C., couple has quite the story to tell after a mother bear and two cubs broke into their home and raided their kitchen last week.
A home surveillance camera recorded the bears entering the home along Meadow Drive through a pet door in the early hours of Friday morning, around 3:45 a.m.
Michael Kellam tells CTV News that he and his wife woke up to the sound of their dog, Mollie, barking wildly in a way that they had never heard before.
Kellam's wife, Jacqueline Kellan, sprung from their bed and opened their bedroom door, followed shortly by Michael.
Jacqueline was about a metre into the hallway when Michael heard his wife say "bear."
"I have an image of that bear seared into my memory as she looked back at us in the light spilling out from the bedroom lights, which Jacqueline had flicked on," he told CTV News on Tuesday.
The couple quickly ran back to their bedroom, shut the door and called 911.
MIDNIGHT SNACK
Michael says the mother bear stayed inside the house for about 10 minutes, while one cub stayed for about 30 minutes and the other cub stayed for about an hour.
The bears devoured nearly all of the apples and oranges kept inside the kitchen, and nibbled on some of the pet food meant for the couple's dog and two cats.
Homeowner Michael Kellam says the house was in worse shape directly after the feast, and that these photos were taken after a bit of cleanup had already taken place. (Michael Kellam)Michael says the bears also got into a bottle of caramel syrup which had fallen on its side and leaked all over the kitchen floor.
"They licked up quite a bit but then walked through the puddle and left syrup paw prints about the kitchen and back hall," he said.
While the house was left in a mess, Michael says there was very little damage done to the home, except for the pet door that the bears had come in through.
The homeowner says the bears had broken the pet door open to fit inside.
"Miraculously, the cupboard doors aren't scratched or damaged," said Michael. "Not sure how they managed to open everything so carefully but my wife says they were quite polite."
SEARCHING THE HOME
While waiting inside his bedroom for police to arrive, Michael thought it would be best to get the bears to leave the house if possible.
He began searching the home cautiously while clapping his hands and banging against the wall to alert the bears of his position, while also yelling at the mother bear to "find its own home."
As he approached the kitchen he heard some noise coming from another hallway and retreated back to his bedroom. After several minutes, he began the search again, this time hearing nothing in the house.
He approached his kitchen expecting the door to be open, assuming that the bears got inside because someone had forgotten to lock the door.
However, he found that the pet door had been burst open, with food strewn about the kitchen.
Homeowner Michael Kellam says the house was in worse shape directly after the feast, and that these photos were taken after a bit of cleanup had already taken place. (Michael Kellam)Shortly after, a police officer arrived carrying a large rifle. He searched the home and confirmed there were no animals inside and informed Michael that he thought he had heard some noise coming from a slope beside the house.
The bears weren't found that night and conservation officers were alerted of the incident.
CONSERVATION OFFICERS ON THE CASE
One day later, the bears returned and were spotted meandering about the Kellams' yard.
The BC Conservation Officers Service says it has set up traps in the area, and that the bears have also broken into several cars in the neighbourhood.
The bears are pictured at the Kellam house just north of Nanaimo, B.C. (Michael Kellam)
"I will say, everyone has been excellent from the police dispatcher, the responding officer and the conservation officer that we've had the most interaction with," said Michael.
The BCCOS is encouraging everyone to lock up all animal attractants for the time being, such as garbage, pet food and bird seed.
Anyone who spots a bear is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
"Bears that enter occupied homes and obtain food rewards are an extreme public safety risk," said the BCCOS in a statement.
For now, the Kellams have boarded up the broken pet door and are looking to buy a new door that doesn't include a pet door at all.
The now-boarded up pet door is shown. (Michael Kellam)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.