US: Bear enters crawlspace in woman’s house; here’s what she did to get rid of it

A massive black bear entered the crawlspace of a woman's house in California. When it did not budge and refused to move, the woman had to get creative to make it leave.

Tina Herzog told CNN, "I went into the basement with my flashlight, it's eyes shone right at me."

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The several hundred-pound bear first showed up at her house at 04:30 am, as captured by their ring camera. Herzog said when it seemed to linger around, she knew it was trouble. "When I came out at dawn, I saw the crawlspace window was torn off. And I said, 'Oh no! The bear is in there,'" she said.

Herzog tried everything to make the unwanted visitor leave, but nothing worked. She turned on the flashlight at the bear and said, "What are you doing? Out, out, and out! Bad bear." She even pleaded with him to get out of the crawlspace and made all sorts of noise to do so. "I even had my leaf bowler. Took it down and turned it on. Didn't work," Herzog told CNN.

Herzog and her family members filmed the bear every few hours.

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Although the bear was crammed up, it was comfortable. It was sitting calmly in the shallow, unfinished space below the first floor, open to the stairs leading upstairs.

Herzog said, "I moved food I had in the pantry out because I know they have a really strong sense of smell. Hopefully that helps and hopefully it doesn't decide to come upstairs."

After trying everything, Animal Control suggested Herzog use mothballs. She threw mothballs into the crawlspace to shoothe bear away, prompting it to creep out immediately. Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used to kill moths and protect clothing from other fibre insects.

Herzog said, "I don't know what woke this one up and decided to come over here. Yeah, I've heard of it happening before. But I just thought, 'Why me?'" According to Animal Control, the bear might've been sick or hurt, which would've caused him to get inside the crawlspace.

(With inputs from agencies)