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Black bear next to Halloween candy
Most people will need to wait a couple of weeks before they have an excuse to stuff themselves with Halloween candy. However, a black bear in Alaska got a head start by raiding the stash it discovered after wandering into a hospital on a military base in Alaska in the middle of the night.
There isn’t a single state in America that boasts more bears than Alaska, which is home to an estimated 100,000 of the black variety as well as approximately 30,000 brown ones that are also referred to as grizzlies.
The latter is known for being more aggressive towards humans. However, both species have the potential to be more dangerous than usual when they enter hyperphagia, the period that stretches from the end of August to the tail end of October where they devote their waking hours to eating as much food as possible to bulk up ahead of hibernation.
They do not really discriminate when it comes to picking out a meal, and one bear recently helped itself to a late-night snack after coming across a bunch of candy inside a hospital on a military base that has struggled to keep the animals at bay.
A black bear caused a scene after infiltrating a hospital on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is located in Anchorage and serves as the base of operation for thousands of troops who primarily serve in the Air Force and the Army. It is obviously designed to be a secure facility, but there have been some issues when it comes to handling the bears that roam the area.
Earlier this year, two soldiers were attacked during a training exercise on the grounds of the base, and in July, a bear wandered into a grocery store to steal a peach before leaving a parting gift by pooping on the floor.
According to Alaska News Source, the “Days Since A Bear Caused A Problem At JBER” counter was reset back to zero on the morning of Monday, October 12, as a visitor named Sherri Warnke had a very unexpected encounter after spotting it lurking in a corridor inside the hospital located on the base.
Warnke told the outlet she felt slightly trapped after seeing the bear in a hallway where the nearest doors required a badge to access, and she slowly backed away while keeping an eye on the bear that eventually turned its attention to a bucket filled with Halloween candy.
Other people inside the hospital captured footage of the bear, and a surveillance camera filmed it sniffing around a reception desk in the emergency room.
This guy came into the ER on the hospital on base, JBER, today. #aklife https://t.co/r5WK3IY1oC
— Steve Wells (@FrozenAnCap) October 12, 2026
You know….its not lost on me that maybe the bear could’ve walked into the hospital because its clearly stated that its the appropriate entrance. https://t.co/qIIxmA7uBn
— Poncho (@PorkPoncho) October 13, 2026
The animal reportedly left through the same door it entered, and no one was harmed during its excursion.