A family has gone viral after sharing the terrifying moment they walked into their kitchen to find that they had an unwelcome visitor.
Maude, who posts to TikTok under the username @maudesoper, shared a shocking video to her account on August 6, where she shakily recorded the kitchen and living area of a house on her phone. Suddenly, a bear walks into the shot. And, appearing to take no notice of them, the animal goes sniffing around the room, looking out windows, strolling between the kitchen and living room. The bear then gets up on its hind legs—and opens the refrigerator, standing up and taking it all in as if deciding what to snack on.
Maude's video continues rolling, with her and others in the room stepping back smartly each time the bear comes closer. The creature opens doors and climbs up to look through windows, before appearing to exit through the garage.
The jaw-dropping video, set to the Jet2 Holiday theme song—which has become a meme over the past few months—has been viewed more than 275,000 times.
Days later, Maude shared a second video of the same incident, this time without the song, showcasing the family's shouts and panicked swears. That clip has so far been viewed over 2.5 million times.
Commenters flocked to both videos to share their shock, with one saying: "The fact that it knows to look in the refrigerator is insane!"
"This is why I'll never do a cabin trip," another posted, as a third commented: "When he stood up … like seeing him in the house wasn't scary enough."
"Who left the door open?" one viewer asked, as another said the bear was "opening doors like that's his house." And a third added: "Why are there people in MY BEARBNB?"
There are plenty of tips for staying safe around bears when out in the wild, with the United States home to three species: the American black bear, brown and grizzly bears, and polar bears.
If you encounter a bear in the wild, the National Park Service (NPS) advises that you use your voice, letting the bear know you are a human and not a prey animal, to stay calm, pick up any small children, and make yourself look as large as possible.
Hikers should travel in groups for safety, and should leave the area or take a detour if possible if they see a bear ahead. Do not run, as they are fast and will chase fleeing animals, and do not climb a tree, as both grizzlies and black bears can climb.
Newsweek has contacted @maudesoper via TikTok for comment on this story.