SASKATOON — A couple from northern Saskatchewan woke up to a black bear’s paws pushing on their window screensWednesday morning.
Samantha Plunz and her husband Paul live in Napatak, just south of La Ronge. Living in the forest, Plunz said she’s no stranger to bears, but having one climb into her home was a whole new experience.
“It totally caught us off guard. I grew up in the bush in the north and never have I had a bear try to climb into the house. I’ve experienced them walking around the house and stuff like that, but never wanting in the house,” she said.
Samanthasaid she had her windows open because of the heat wave.
She and her husband woke up to the bear – which she guessed was two or three years old – pawing at the screen on their bedroom window.
“I’ve got holes on the bedroom screen from its claws,” she explained.
Plunz and her husband rushed out of bed, only to find the bear in their kitchen eating bread and butter.
Despite the couple making noise to try to scare it away, the bear wouldn’t leave.
“It wasn’t phased by our noise, our banging.”
Samantha saysthey called conservation officers, who fired a warning shot upon arrival and scared the bear away.
Regardless, Plunz said the bear returned later that night. Her windows were closed this time, but she thought it still might be able to break through the glass.
“I thought for sure it was going to break,” she said.
Samantha is warning others, especially in the north, to be aware of bears and as prepared as possible. While opening windows helps minimize the heat in the summer, she’ll be keeping them closed at night.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment says bears become a safety concern when they associate food with humans.
They say it's important to store garbage in a bear-resistant container, avoid leaving pet food and bird feeders where it’s accessible to wildlife and to regularly clean all garbage and recycling bins, as well as barbecues.
