A Florida family experienced an unexpected visitor when a black bear snatched their Taco Bell delivery from their front porch. Laidy Guiterrez and Daniel Bula had ordered $45 worth of food via Uber Eats to their Longwood home on Friday night.
Shortly after the delivery woman dropped off the food, a bear decided to help itself to the meal. Captured by home surveillance footage, the bear grabbed the brown food bag with its mouth.
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The bear didn’t stop there; it returned later to pick up the drinks. By the time Guiterrez and her daughter went to retrieve their meal, it was already gone. Uber Eats refunded the family for the stolen order.
The video shows the delivery driver placing the brown bag and drink tray outside the front door, snapping a quick picture before leaving. Moments later, a 300 to 400-pound black bear strode onto the property, picked up the bag with its teeth, and walked away.
Ten minutes later, Guiterrez and her daughter opened the door to find their porch empty. “The bear took the food,” Guiterrez noted. Nicole Castro, Guiterrez’s niece, mentioned that the bear returned for the sodas.
Guiterrez said this isn’t the first bear sighting in their neighborhood; the animals are frequent visitors. Just days before, another black bear was spotted in their yard and recorded on video. “Incredible. It’s huge,” a man is heard saying in the footage as the bear gazes at the camera.
Though common in the area, Guiterrez told FOX 35 she had never seen a bear steal food before. Black bears are native to Florida, thriving in flatwoods, swamps, scrub oak, and hammock areas.
The Florida Wildlife Federation reports that human-bear encounters have increased as both populations have grown since the 1980s.
Protected by the Bear Conservation Rule, black bears cannot be hunted, taken, shot, injured, or collected. The family shared the bear encounter video on social media, which has garnered over 162,000 views. “It’s viral,” Guiterrez remarked.
Black bears are often seen in Orlando and surrounding areas. To prevent future incidents, Guiterrez plans to avoid having food deliveries left on her front porch.
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