A curious black bear surprised homeowners in New Hampton, New Hampshire, by doing something most wild animals wouldn’t: it rang the doorbell before heading over to explore the family’s hot tub.
The bear was caught on a Ring door camera walking up to the front door. It stood up on its hind legs, poked its snout around the doorbell, and then pressed the button with its paw. After the sound, the bear even took a step back, as if waiting for someone to answer.
In the clip, the bear can also be seen peering inside the window, before turning around and heading for the hot tub. Once there, it stood up again and pushed its paws and snout against the tub’s cover. But when the lid wouldn’t open, the bear appeared to lose interest and wandered off into the backyard to explore other areas.
The homeowner, Jay Lievens, shared the adorable video on Facebook, joking:
“At least he was polite enough to ring the doorbell to see if we were home.”
Black bears are common in New Hampshire, with around 5,000 estimated to live in the state, according to the Fish and Game Department. While they are mostly docile, officials still warn people to keep a safe distance, as bears are wild animals and can be dangerous if provoked.
This polite bear is just one of many recent bear encounters caught on home surveillance. In April, a playful bear was seen sliding down a child’s playground slide in Connecticut.
But ringing a doorbell before trying to take a soak? That’s a new level of neighborly behavior.
