Electric guitar serenade aims to deter dumpster-diving black bears

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A common question in western North Carolina is what to do when you encounter a bear. With bears frequently spotted in local yards, one man took an unconventional approach, playing music in an attempt to deter the wildlife.

Andy M. Phail shared a video from April with News 13 of him standing on his porch playing an electric guitar while multiple black bears on and around a dumpster reacted.

Phail explained that a week before this, there were five forgotten chocolate cakes in his Jeep, meant for a cake walk, and the same bears featured in the video broke into the car and "each had a cake to themselves."

After the cake incident, the bears returned and pilfered the dumpster twice. So, when the bears were spotted attempting another dumpster dive, Phail said: "I used the only thing I know to use in life to help a rough situation get better, and that was music."

Phail also added that his mother, who recently passed, was in the Instagram video because she loved that platform and connecting with people.

"So, it is nice to see how many people have connected with this video because she was such a special part of it," Phail said.

The video has over 80,000 likes and over 1,000 comments.

Even though the captured moment was amusing, wildlife experts urge community members to take steps to prevent bears from feeding on unnatural food sources around human homes, like trash, pet food and birdseed, because when they do, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said they may lose their fear of humans and become more likely to approach people. Wildlife officials said it's a situation that rarely ends well for the bear and poses safety risks for humans.

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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission added that it's important to stay BearWise and take steps to keep bears wild and not accustomed to people, as sources of food are key to keeping bears and humans safe. This includes never intentionally or unintentionally feeding bears by securing all garbage, removing bird feeders when bears are active and never leaving pet food outside.

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