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WEEKLY NEWS 4: Hideaway Hibernating Bear

Bears hibernate in winter, which means they go into a deep, comfortable sleep. Typically, they choose a dry comfortable place away from the snow and the rain for this long winter nap. Caves do well for this purpose. But recently, in Effort, Pennsylvania, a black bear chose to hibernate beneath a house where four kids live!

On Sunday, two of the kids were outside playing in the snow when one of them spotted the bear in a deep sleep under their house. The kids ran to their father. Their father contacted the Game Commission (a commission dealing with wild animals), and the bear was safely removed.

Removing a 600-700 pound bear is not an easy job! The bear had to be tranquilized before they were able to remove it and place it in the State Game Lands.

Interestingly, this is not the first time this particular bear has chosen odd places close to people for his hibernation spot. Two winters ago, the same bear was found hibernating underneath a porch just a few miles away. At that time, the bear weighed 500 pounds, so it seems the bear grew heavier during these last two seasons.

How did authorities know it was the same bear? The bear was tagged in 1992 and given a number. This year, authorities were able to identify it because of its tag.

--Written by Marwa Sabry

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