Idahoans of a certain age will remember Dancing Bear.  Of an older age!  He was a character on Captain Kangaroo on CBS.  The show aired weekday mornings throughout my childhood (and even before I was born).  It was a simpler time before Cartoon Network and children’s TV was meant to calm and teach.

Then they clawed open a door and raided a refrigerator before leaving a deposit on a carpet.

Later, a defensive end named Ron McDole picked up the name because of his nimble footwork.  He played pro ball in Buffalo and Washington and was one of the great characters in football.

Bears have a special place in literature and culture but as most of us know (other than a few knot-headed Yellowstone tourists) they can be quite surly in real life.

I came across the video below during my daily show preparation.  What looks to be a black bear really wants access to a bird feeder.  Getting there is the challenge, although.  This guy is as nimble as Ron McDole.  Not sure where this happened as black bears have tremendous range across North America.

A few years ago there was a story out of North Idaho where some large bears climbed a post, then over a railing and onto a second floor deck.  Then they clawed open a door and raided a refrigerator before leaving a deposit on a carpet.  The homeowner was away.  You wouldn’t want to surprise those burglars!

Even in Idaho, most of us never really know how close we are to wildlife on a regular basis.  Some mornings I’ve been on my way to my car and can hear coyotes baying at the moon.  Here in the Magic Valley we don’t have many bear concerns.  About the biggest threat is the sometimes wandering moose.  They don’t balance nearly as well on porch railings.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

WATCH OUT: These are the deadliest animals in the world

 

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