Watch this Granby bear tear decking off to get trash

Yahoo

09-04-2025

GRANBY, Mass. (WWLP) – A 22News viewer caught a bear on camera that pulled the railing off the deck to get to the trash.
Carissa Kowal of Granby sent a screen recording of her surveillance camera that shows Wednesday at 1:53 a.m., with the outdoor lights on and a black bear just on the other side of the deck railing. It first shows the bear poking its paws through the railing posts at a trash can.
If you turn the volume up can then hear as the bear stands on its hind legs rattling the trash can, trying to pick up the bag through the posts. Its paws even thump as it moves across the railing and then yanks on it a few times before breaking the entire piece off.
VIDEO: Bear caught stealing bird feeder from Three Rivers yard
'While my husband is going to need to replace it. It was amazing seeing wildlife in New England,' said Carissa.
The bear realizes what it has done and sits down looking around… (anyone hear that?). Well, after 0:34 seconds of video, did the bear get away with the trash? 22News contacted Carissa to find out what happened next.
'He was HUGE!!'
Carrissa told 22News
In a follow-up, Carissa sent another video that shows what the bear did after it took the railing off. About a half hour later, you can see in the next video below, trash is scattered in the yards and on the deck. The next video begins with the bear climbing over the broken railing onto the deck, very quietly.
How can bears be so quiet?
On the deck, the bear sniffs around, looks to be inches away from the home, turns around, and sits for a few seconds before leaving his wet paw prints on the deck. The bear then takes a trash bag out of the barrel and runs away with it.
According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, male black bears generally weigh around 130 to 600 pounds, and females weigh around 100 to 400 pounds. Bears are often drawn to residential areas with unsecured trash and bird feeders. They have a very good memory and can remember the locations of food sources years after they had previously visited.
Residents are urged not to feed black bears so they are not reliant on human-associated foods. If you see or hear reports of black bears in your area, it is encouraged to remove bird feeders, protect livestock, and secure trash. If you see a black bear in your yard, wait for it to leave, then remove and secure all food sources on your property.
If you have any videos or photos of wildlife near you, share them with 22News by emailing [e-mail].
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.