CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Bear puts on gymnastic balancing act to get trash

SNOQUALMIE -- Bear sightings are not uncommon in Snoqulamie, but it’s rare to see one balancing like a gymnast on a fence.

“Pretty impressive,” Kevin Shea said.

Around 5 a.m. Friday, Shea peeked out his window and captured cell phone video of a black bear pawing at his neighbor’s trash can.

The bear tried to pull the trash over the fence, and it succeeded after a few attempts.

Residents believe it’s a mother bear.

Neighbor Julie Dium said she saw three cubs clinging to a tree in her backyard this week.

“They were so cute because they were tiny and they would go up and down and play with each other,” Dium said.



Several weeks ago, a family of bears stopped traffic in Sammamish before moving into the woods.

So far this year, there have been 140 bear sightings.

With more housing developments going up along bear country, wildlife officials get up to a dozen calls per day.

Kim Chandler, with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, says if the weather is hotter than normal this summer, drying up natural food sources, expect more hungry bears in your neighborhood.

“That could be a problem, stay tuned,” Chandler said.

That's all the more reason to secure your trash and raise your bird feeders.

And if you get too close for comfort?

“You make yourself look big. You make lots of noise. You clap your hands,” Chandler said.

Hopefully, that’s enough to scare the bears away but Shea has a feeling his nimble bear will show up again.

“It’s a little concerning, but certainly comes with the territory living out here,” Shea said.

Experts say bears are not out to hurt humans but all it takes is one aggressive bear to make things dangerous. That  is why everyone is urged to keep their garbage cans secured and out of sight.