Viewpoint: Keep bears wild and out of homes

Jennifer Manning

I live in the Rattlesnake area near Missoula, and like many of us, I love seeing wildlife. But a few years ago, I learned the hard way that there’s a big difference between appreciating nature and unintentionally inviting it inside.

One chilly fall morning, I found a window screen torn from our backyard shop. Overnight, a black bear had climbed in, drawn by the bird seed and chicken feed we kept inside. By the time it left, the shop looked like a demolition zone: walls ripped apart, cabinets torn down, and a dinner-plate-sized “souvenir” on the floor.

When I called our insurance company, I got another unpleasant surprise -- no coverage for bear damage. Unless you have a special “wild animal damage” rider, most homeowners’ policies don’t pay for bear-related repairs.

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