Hungry bear breaks into nursing home, gets walloped with walker before being lured out with Rice Krispies treats
A hungry black bear broke into a Pittsburgh-area nursing home and wreaked havoc — forcing a caretaker to whack him with a walker while others coaxed him with Rice Krispies treats, workers said Friday.
'I grabbed a walker and was hitting him, trying to get him away from the residents,' nursing assistant Charlene Elliot told CBS News.
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A young black bear broke into St. Andrew's Village, a nursing home located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, leading a caretaker to whack the animal before other members of the building coaxed him with Rice Krispies treats.
WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh
'[I thought] he's going to maul them or swipe, slap at them. That was my worst fear.'
The ballsy young bruin smashed through a window at St. Andrew's Village in Indiana, Pennsylvania, at 11 p.m. Tuesday, and made a b-line for an elderly resident's bed, Elliott said.
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'I was sitting there at our nurse's station and I heard a big crash,' Elliott told Channel 11.
'Going through my mind was, 'Get the thing out of here!''
The un-bear-able burglar high-tailed it down a hallway into several bedrooms — at one point coming nearly nose-to-nose with an elderly resident, Elliott told the station.
'He could have mauled him. I mean, one swipe,' Elliott said.
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The bear made its way into the nursing home at around 11 p.m. Tuesday and made a b-line for a resident's bed, said nursing assistant Charlene Elliot.
WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh
'I told them all to shut the doors. Get the doors all shut!'
Meanwhile, another resident offered the critter a sandwich in an attempt to lure him out of the building.
'She's like 'Well, go ahead and give it my sandwich!' and I'm like, 'No, we can't do that!' Elliott said.
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Staffers eventually succeeded at shooing the animal out of the center using the lure of Rice Krispies treats, she said.
All told, the 150-pound bear was inside the retirement home for about 15 minutes and nobody was injured.
Wildlife officials later captured the bear using a trap, set up with donuts, Thursday morning.
'We are incredibly proud of our team's quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in our community,' Presbyterian Senior Living, which runs the home, said in a press release.
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