Black bear shot and killed by US man in his living room after break-in

A US couple bought a late-night wakeup name from a barking canine alerting them {that a} black bear had damaged into their front room earlier than the person shot and killed the animal with a handgun.

The confrontation with the massive bruin occurred within the rural group of Luther on the base of the rugged Beartooth Mountains in Montana, the place Thomas Bolkcom and fiance Seeley Oblander stay with their two canine.

After staying up late the evening earlier than – the couple was scheduled to fly that morning to Arizona for his or her bachelor and bachelorette events – they woke up about 3am to their canine Maizey barking furiously upstairs from the home’s fundamental ground, Oblander mentioned.

The body of black bear is seen after being dragged outside after being shot and killed when the it broke into a house early Thursday morning, Aug 3, 2023, in Luther, Montana. (Seeley Oblander via AP) — The physique of black bear is seen after being dragged outdoors after being shot and killed when the it broke right into a home early Thursday morning, Aug 3, 2023, in Luther, Montana. (Seeley Oblander through AP) (AP)

Bolkcom, 27, a business painter and elk hunter, went to analyze and tried to coax the lab-pit bull combine downstairs when he circled “and there’s this black bear standing in the living room five feet away,” Oblander said.

Wearing only a t-shirt and underwear, Bolkcom ran back downstairs, got a handgun and returned to the living room where he shot the bear. It ran into another room so he shot the bear several more times.

The animal had broken in through a screened window. Oblander, 26, said it had no other way out and was between Bolkcom and the door.

“I never thought there would be a bear in our house, so that was quite the wakeup call at three in the morning,” she mentioned. “I just stayed downstairs with the dogs, trying to help keep them out of the way and let Tom handle it. He did a great job.”

The couple and Bolkcom’s brother dragged the bear outside then called their fathers, who came to the house to meet with a game warden so the others could catch a morning flight. The warden told them the bear was about 10 years old and 113-136 kilograms, said Rocky Oblander, who returned to the house Friday to remove blood-stained carpets.

“At least nobody got hurt,” he said. “It’s just too sad because it was a beautiful bear.”

A broken screened window is seen that a black bear broke through to enter a house, Thursday, Aug 3, 2023, in Luther, Montana where it was shot by the homeowner. (Seeley Oblander via AP) (AP)

The warden determined the shooting was justified in self-defence, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Chrissy Webb.

Black bears frequent the area and in recent weeks one had been prowling the neighbourhood, getting food from unsecured garbage cans and other sources, Webb said.

Although the house that was broken into did not have unsecured food or garbage, Webb said the bear likely became habituated to associate humans with food, creating a dangerous situation for local residents and the animal.

“This is pretty abnormal behavior to have a bear entering a home,” Webb mentioned. “This giant male black bear ended up dying due to improperly saved attractants locally.”

Bears become more active in the spring and summer and in recent weeks they have been spotted in a Southern California jacuzzi, a backyard in Maine and in an Idaho man’s garage.

Last month near West Yellowstone, Montana, a grizzly bear killed a 48-year-old Kansas woman while she was running or hiking on a trail west of Yellowstone National Park.