Bear breaks into Pennsylvania retirement home, nurses take action: ‘I grabbed a walker and was hitting him’

INDIANA Pennsylvania KDKA Nursing homes are used to having visitors but a retirement region in western Pennsylvania had a rather unbearable guest on Tuesday night Presbyterian Senior Living which runs St Andrew s Village in Indiana Pennsylvania reported a juvenile male black bear broke through a window a little after p m Administrators explained he was looking for food but what he discovered was Charlene Elliot and a meager other St Andrew s nurses I grabbed a walker and was hitting him trying to get him away from the residents Elliot explained Cause my thought was he was going to from quick reaction from them he s going to maul them or swipe slap at them That was my worst fear Elliot explained that various nurses tried to lure the bear out of rooms with things like Rice Krispies treats but she mentioned it took her and her squad basically wrangling the bear and pushing it out of the door to get it to go The Pennsylvania Competition Commission later came and set up a bear trap Early Wednesday morning they were able to humanely catch and relocate the -pound yearling I feel I went above and beyond for my residents and that s the way I feel I would put my life on the line for them and pretty much I did Elliot explained Elliot explained that nothing like this has ever happened to her before but no doubt residents are happy that she acted hastily and was smarter than the average bear We are incredibly proud of our group s quick thinking and dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in our locality To prevent future wildlife encounters the event warden safely relocated the bear to a more suitable habitat nowadays and all bird feeders on our campus were removed Presbyterian Senior Living explained in a news release According to the Pennsylvania Match Commission there are about black bears in the state and while they re usually afraid of humans chosen that live close by can become habituated If there are food sources like bird feeders or garbage cans bears that are used to people can be drawn to backyards The Battle Commission says Pennsylvania s black bears are rather non-confrontational and attacks are rare The majority of the time black bears are just looking for an easy meal While there s no real playbook for a bear current into a nursing home the Encounter Commission says if you do find yourself in a situation like this perpetually protect yourself and constantly try to make sure there is an open door for the animal to go out