No joke: A bear walks into a Juneau liquor store

JUNEAU — A Lemon Creek liquor store got an unexpected customer Friday morning, KTOO reported.

Roger Thibodeau, a Liquor Barrel clerk, posted a video of a bear walking through the store's front door about 8:30 a.m.

At first glance, Thibodeau said, it looked like a dog, but then he saw its snout.

"Oh my god," Thibodeau said, "I think that was the closest I've ever been to a bear. I was basically kind of stunned when I saw it."

Thibodeau, who was behind the counter, described the bear as a cinnamon-colored juvenile about the size of an adult malamute dog.

In the video, the bear can be seen walking in the open front door, looking at the candy rack and standing upright as though considering his options.

Thibodeau was worried the bear wasn't alone.

"It was very young, I thought," Thibodeau said. "There might be some other ones, a mama bear maybe close by, and I didn't want to get too close to it.

Thibodeau said a customer who was pouring coffee began clapping his hands and shooed the bear out.

The bear went next door to Harri Plumbing and Heating, Thibodeau said.

This article is republished with permission from KTOO.org.