A black bear is being blamed for devouring 60 cupcakes at a central Connecticut bakery, then wandering away.
Taste by Spellbound owner Miriam Stephens wrote about the encounter on Instagram, where she claimed the interloper entered her bakery’s garage and helped itself to dozens of pastries being loaded into a delivery van. An employee named Maureen first made the grisly discovery.
“All [of a] sudden, we hear her screaming bloody murder and then yelling, ‘There’s a bear in garage!’” Stephens said.
The frightened staffer ran back inside the bakery and slammed shut a door connecting the garage to the kitchen.
Williams told local station WTNH she tried scaring off the bear by yelling. It left and returned to the garage three times before turning the tables on her team, which took off running when the bear charged them before dragging a tray of cupcakes into a parking lot and eating the desserts. Surveillance video shows the bakers’ hasty retreat.
That’s when another staffer came up with a plan.
“Lisa then had a brilliant idea to go out the front and get in her car to drive around back and she started beeping her horn like a crazy person,” Williams said.
The bear finally left, and authorities arrived a short time later.
Other Avon, Conn., business owners have reportedly had encounters with bears in the area. Taste by Spellbound’s landlord is working with Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection with regards to their recent visit.
Connecticut officials say black bears in the state can weigh as much as 550 lbs., and stand between five and six feet tall. They’re omnivores who apparently enjoy confections too.