Bear strolls through Alaska liquor store’s open door

July 2 (UPI) — An unexpected customer paid a visit to an Alaska liquor store when a bear came walking through the front door.

Surveillance footage shows the bear walking through the open door of the Liquor Barrel in Juneau on Friday before standing up on its hind legs to peruse the candy shelf.

Roger Thibodeau, the clerk of the family-owned store, told KTOO he initially thought it was a dog but became “kinda freaked out” after seeing the snout and realizing it was actually a bear.

“I think that was the closest I’ve ever been to a bear,” he told KTOO. “I was basically kind of stunned when I saw it.”

Before the bear was able to make its choice from the selection of candy bars, a customer began clapping his hands and shooed the bear away to the Harri Plumbing and Heating next door.

Bob Dilley of the Juneau Police Department said the bear likely just followed its nose into the store.

“That place probably had some food in there that smelled, so it wanted to check it out,” he said.

Dilley added that he’s rarely seen a bear behave the way this one did in his 19 years working as a community service officer.

“It’s fairly rare that they actually walk into a front door like that,” he said. “It’s a matter of luck that they come by and the door’s open.”

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