Community Corner

WATCH: Very Big Bear In Very Small CT Tree Snacks On Apples

A black bear, a big one, climbed a diminutive apple tree in Bristol, CT to munch on its yet-to-ripen fruit. Not a picky eater, apparently.

BRISTOL, CT — "He's gonna get a tummy ache."

A hungry black bear, likely an adult given its size, climbed a diminutive tree in Bristol to snack on its apples. In a video captured by the property owner and shared on ABC News' Instagram page, viewers learn that the apples were far from ripe.

"I knew this day was coming. That they would come for the apples," a woman is heard saying. "I just didn't think it would come so soon. They have to wait for them to ripen. He's gonna get a tummy ache (on) all the fermented apples."

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Everything, and we mean everything, you ever wanted to know about black bears can be found here.

Find out what's happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Generally shy and secretive and usually fearful of humans. Usually. Unless they regularly find food near houses and areas of human activity. Then they can lose their fear of humans.

Black bears don't attack humans, or at least cases are exceedingly rare, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection notes. That said, people who see or encounter black bears are advised to give it its space to do what bears do.

Agile climbers, adult black bears, depending on gender, can weigh anywhere from 200 to 500 pounds. With exceptional hearing and sense of smell, left to their own devices in nature, they feed on grasses, fruit, nuts, and berries, and insects, and will on occasion prey on small mammals. But if there's smelly garbage cans, bird feeders, or outdoor pet food and compost piles, a bear will check it out. They're also attracted to berry-producing shrubs and fruit trees.

Even apple trees whose fruit has yet to ripen, it turns out.

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