A man driving down a New York road caught a one-of-a-kind sight on camera recently. Vito Cafagna was driving past Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, New York when he spotted a black bear scaling the perimeter fence of the prison. Was this an elaborate breakout? A break-in? Or is this bear just an urban explorer, come to check out the closed-up prison for his YouTube channel?
“Seeing all of my new wildlife neighbor animal friends in their natural habitat has been one of the best parts about moving to the Hudson Valley from Westchester,” Cafagna told the WZAD radio station.
Downstate Correctional Facility was a maximum security prison that closed in March 2022 along with seven other New York prisons. Now, these prisons are going to be used as filming locations. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, the Hudson Valley Film Commission is currently working with four different productions. They want to use Downstate as a filming location, which will definitely be a big boost to the local economy.
As for the bear? Well, he seems to just be living his best life being a bear. Maybe there was some good-looking food over the fence. Or maybe he hit a baseball into the prison yard and all the other bears on the team made him climb the fence to get it. Who knows. Overall, it’s a cool once-in-a-lifetime sight, and one that makes for some pretty great stories.
Black Bear Crashes Wedding, Guests Barely Move From Their Tables
In other bear news, a black bear recently crashed a wedding. The people at one table barely batted an eyelash at the unexpected guest. In the video, courtesy of Instagram user @angiedisa, the bear is making a mess of one of the dinner tables. He knocks over the centerpiece, then seems to realize that he’s not dressed enough for the formal occasion. He then makes a hasty getaway.
Jokes aside, the bear leaves the wedding without incident. He glances at one table full of people, before walking right past them and leaving the venue. One thing’s for sure, those wedding guests are going to have an amazing story to tell. Additionally, what about the married couple? They’re going to be telling the story of the time a bear crashed their wedding for years to come, I’m sure.
Luckily, this moment passed without anything worse happening. Possibly, the large crowd scared the bear off after the food smell lured it in. Black bears are mostly skittish animals and are easily scared off by loud noises. Although, if you encounter any bears at all, it’s best to quietly leave the area. Never turn your back, and never run from a bear. Thanks for coming to my BearTalk, and make sure you’re prepared for wild animals to possibly gatecrash if you have your wedding reception in the woods
