Misbehaving bear cub ventures onto NC porch — and gets a stern lecture, video shows

Bear cubs are rascals in part because they’re just so darned cute, but one North Carolina woman has learned a secret to making them behave: Use a stern tone and threaten to bring out the dog.

Melissa Howell demonstrates just how well it works in a video recorded this week on the second-story porch of her home in Maggie Valley, a mountain town in the western part of the state.

The 30-second video, which was shared on YouTube, shows an adorable bear cub acting like a toddler as it tries to climb over the railing.

“You know you don’t belong up here. I hate to yell at you, but I’m going to have to,” Howell says in the video. “You want me to call my dog?”

At that, the cub instantly turns and walks away.

Howell believes the cub was trying to pilfer the sweet nectar from a nearby hummingbird feeder, according to Storyful.com. Bears in North Carolina are notorious for raiding bird feeders — and trash cans — in mountain neighborhoods for easy meals. They’re also skilled at getting into vehicles for snack food, with videos showing they know how to use their claws to open car doors.

The lack of surprise in Howell’s tone during the incident makes it clear she has dealt with bear cubs before. In fact, another of her videos made national news earlier this month, when she caught a cub climbing up the side of the deck, then using the railing as a diving board to a nearby tree.

It is then seen shimmying down the tree to the ground.

That video has been viewed 80,000 times on YouTube since Aug. 18.

This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Misbehaving bear cub ventures onto NC porch — and gets a stern lecture, video shows."