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Fruit Cupcakes (Archive)
Photo: Matthew Mead / AP/dpa
The employee of the small pastry shop in Avon, Connecticut, was just about to load boxes of cupcakes into a van when suddenly a black bear stood in front of her. The hungry animal stormed the garage and helped itself to boxes of 60 muffins before finally strolling away.
Bakery owner Miriam Stephens described the encounter with the bear in an Instagram post a few days ago. According to the report, the employee screamed and barricaded herself in the kitchen before another colleague was able to drive away the sugar-loving four-legged friend by honking loudly. "The bear destroyed 60 muffins and a pile of coconut cake," Stephens wrote.
In a surveillance video broadcast by WTNH, the bear can be seen dragging a container of muffins from the garage to the parking lot – and several employees trying in vain to drive it away for a long time.
The tartlet episode joins a series of several disturbing incidents involving bears in Connecticut. According to the state environmental protection agency, between 1000 and 1200 black bears live in the U.S. state, which are repeatedly spotted in villages. Last year alone, 158 of the 169 cities in Connecticut received visits from the four-legged friends – and in over 60 cases, bears allegedly invaded houses.
Bite wounds on arms and legs
A 74-year-old woman suffered bite wounds to her arms and legs last month when she was attacked by a bear while walking her dog in a suburb of Hartford. In 2022, two serious attacks on people became public.
The incident in the confectionery, on the other hand, ended lightly for everyone involved, no employee was injured. On Instagram, owner Stephens shared a photo of the muffin crime scene – and a short statement: "We're fine, but the cupcakes aren't."
Rai