Watch: Florida bear goes Grinch, tramples and steals Christmas lawn decorations
A bear has been caught getting in the holiday spirit – Grinch style – when a doorbell camera recorded it stealing lawn decorations from a Florida family.
Edgar Jason Levin spotted the bear on security footage at his home in Longwood, Florida, about 15 miles north of Orlando, according to Storyful.
The video shows the bear pad up to light-up reindeer and swipe a paw at the biggest one. The reindeer fell over as the lights went out and the bear trampled over it. The bear then knocks over a second light-up reindeer, grabbing it in its mouth to drag it away.
Bear becomes a cherished family story
Levin told WSVN-TV that the decoration was later found up the driveway with a few scratch marks from the bear. The whole encounter has become a cherished story among the Levin family.
“The kids love it," he told the station. "As soon as I showed them, they were like, ‘Oh my God! It’s so great! They just go crazy with it."
According to Storyful, this is the second year bears have messed with the decorations.
Bears wreak havoc throughout Florida
Yes, there are bears in Florida.
They can be found almost anywhere in the state but prefer to be in areas of flatwoods, swamps, scrub oak ridges, and hammock habitats, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They look for places in cover and try to stay away from heavily populated areas. But much of Central Florida falls in one of the regions that the commission considers "frequent" for bear visits based on observations by researchers, public calls for help and sightings.
Those areas are considered core to the bear population and show evidence that reproduction is consistent.
Officials urge the public to avoid feeding bears, as it can increase their comfort with humans and put them at further risk. Officials recommend securing trash with a caddy, a bear-resistant container or simply waiting to put bins out in the morning before trash pickup.