Talk about a “sneak” attack.
A three-legged bear, locally known to some Florida residents as Tripod, paid an unexpected visit as it was caught on camera breaking into a family’s porch in Lake Mary, Florida, over the weekend and helping itself to alcoholic drinks, news sources have reported.
Joseph Diglio, 13, was inside his home watching TV on Sunday when his dog, Bruno, began barking, which alerted him that there was something outside. That’s when Diglio made a move to capture the whole thing on video.
Diglio watched as the three-legged bear ripped a makeshift door into the screen surrounding the enclosed patio.
“Oh my god. I’ve never been this close to a bear,” Diglio is heard saying in the video. “Oh my god, there’s a literal bear in our patio.”
Tripod then made himself at home and was said to have lumbered over to the family’s outdoor mini fridge.
Once the bear was able to get the refrigerator open, Diglio claimed the bear grabbed several White Claws – mango and strawberry.
“Once I saw him open the fridge, I got scared that he could open the doors to the houses,” Diglio said to sources.
Josaury Faneite-Diglio, Joseph Diglio’s mother, said that Tripod had some fish food that was left near their fish tank and then made his way over to the bar.
“He took three White Claws, drank, and left very happy. His favorite flavor is mango and strawberry,” Faneite-Diglio told WESH.
Bruno’s bark eventually scared away the bear.
According to Diglio, this was the second time a bear had broken through the patio screen. He said the encounter is just “part of living where we live honestly,” WFLA and WESH reported.
Turns out, Tripod is a “well-liked” member of the neighborhood.
“I was not scared because we know the bear really well. He lives here; we respect their habitat as much as we can,” Faneite-Diglio told WESH.
Video of Tripod can be seen via WESH and WFLA.