Black bear ransacks Alaska couple's home

[May 20, 2008]  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A black bear was shot and killed inside the ransacked home of an Anchorage couple. David and Robin Tisch came home Sunday and discovered the aggressive bear inside the residence on Villages Scenic Parkway, a dirt road near Chugach State Park.

Upon arriving, Robin Tisch noticed a screen door was folded in.

"That's about the time we heard a drawer being thrown across the room. There was silverware flying," said David Tisch.

One of the Tisches shouted to a sister-in-law living next door, telling her to call 911.

David Tisch's brother ran over with a gun and David grabbed a rifle.

When the bear made an aggressive move, someone shot at it and the animal fell dead.

Police officers later showed up and helped put the bear on an area rug and carry it outside. The animal was loaded into the back of Tisch's truck, where it remained until the state Department of Fish and Game came to take it away.

The bear, which found a frozen chicken and some bread before being surprised by the Tisches, left a trail of destruction.

"He pulled the refrigerator away from the wall and was smart enough to pull open the freezer," David Tisch said. "He pulled open some drawers, and opened the cupboards and just destroyed those. We have a nice leather couch and love seat and he tore holes in the couch. He tore up the table.

After the encounter, a neighbor called to say another bear was on Tisch's brother's porch. With Chugach State Park right next door, the Tisches are used to sharing the neighborhood with wildlife. They say they do everything people are supposed to do to minimize bear visits.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com/

[Associated Press]

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