Bears Stop By Man's Porch To Say Hello

Jul 22, 2020 by apost team

Bears aren't exactly known for being friendly. In fact, if most of us saw a bear in the woods, we'd probably run away screaming. But for one man in North Carolina, bears visit his porch just as regularly as squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons.

On one day in 2018, a total of four bears showed up and were just walking around. Thankfully he captured footage of the incident.

Patrick Conley grabbed his camera and started filming as soon as the bears started to approach his front porch. The first bear cautiously walks up the stairs, sniffing the air as if expecting to find some food. "Good morning!" Conley says. The bear appears not to notice as it lumbers around the porch as if it owns the place.

And to be fair, humans build their houses in areas where wildlife used to live, so maybe Conley's on the bear's property?

The next bear appears and starts walking up the steps, just as casually as the first. "Good morning," Patrick says again. The bear glances over as if it heard him, then walks over to the first bear, who's inspecting the grill. Maybe they're hoping to score some barbecue!

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Yet a third and fourth bear walk up the steps while the first bear approaches Conley. The bear gets so close that Conley can practically reach out and pet it on the head — although he wisely chooses not to. The bear seems to regard him with a vague curiosity. It sniffs at him like a cat. "That's a little close, come on now!" Conley says.

Most people would've been terrified, but Conley did the right thing by staying calm. Wild animals can be unpredictable, so if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, it's always smart to stay calm and avoid making any sudden noises or movements.

The bear heeds his suggestion as if it were trained — it backs away and walks off with the rest of his family. The bears saunter off into the woods, off on their next adventure.

This isn't the first time that these bears have paid Conley a visit. In fact, the same four bears have been visiting his property in Asheville, North Carolina since 2017. It's a wonder that these bears have stayed together all this time — they must be a very close-knit family.

These bears have visited so frequently that Conley can even tell them apart and gave them names. The mother bear is Maïté, while her son is Maurice and her daughters are Simone and Solange. No word on how he's able to tell them apart — they all look the same to us — but I guess that's what happens when you have regular bear visitors at your back porch.

It's extremely rare for wild bears to approach humans like this, let alone make it a regular occurrence. And it's even rarer for a mother bear to bring her cubs around humans. For some reason, these bears must feel safe on Conley's front porch.

Of course, he did the smart thing by not trying to get too close to them — approaching wild animals or leaving food out for them can lead to deadly consequences for both the human and the animal. It's best to leave these animals alone and appreciate them from a distance. Wild animals need to stay wild — and we, as humans, need to stay safe.

What did you think about this adorable video of a mother bear and her cubs? Give us your thoughts in the comments. And if you think this might brighten someone's day, send this video to a friend or co-worker.