Rauf and Laura Majidian were hosting a birthday party for their two-year-old son Cyrus at their West Hartford home when a fearless, furry foe entered the backyard.
A black bear materialized from the nearby woods and took a seat at the birthday table where he began scarfing down several cupcakes. The parents captured video of the animal as it raided the table of treats, eventually walking away from the party with a face full of frosting.
Video of the encounter shows the bear licking its lips after each cupcake, as it forwent juice boxes and other goodies displayed on the table.
—Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ)
September 12, 2022
Laura Majidian told WTNH News that two dozen family members were enjoying the festivities outside when the bear first appeared. Adults at the party immediately began running around trying to scoop up “armfuls of children” who were dancing and running around in the backyard.
“A little scared, I’m a little freaked out, but everyone is safe,” Laura Majidian told the outlet of the encounter.
Some guests hid in the garage while others retreated to their cars where they tried to honk horns and yell at the bear in an effort to send him running. But the hungry ursine just kept snacking.
“All the grownups, we were screaming at the bear. He wasn’t fazed,” Rauf Majidian told the station.
The parents added that the bear didn’t seem aggressive at all — he was exclusively interested in the cupcakes, and once he had finished feasting, he sauntered away.
Bear sightings throughout Connecticut have increased in recent years, according to the state’s energy and environmental protection agency’s wildlife division, which lists more than 8,000 sightings already this year.
After a woman was killed in Montana last year when a grizzly bear displayed rare predatory behavior, a bear management specialist told Insider that the best way to avoid any negative encounter with the animal is to make sure food is secured in areas where bears might be present.