A woman was making coffee in the kitchen of her daughter's New Jersey home Sunday morning when she looked out the window and found herself face to face with a 211-pound black bear. Lorraine Grossman's shocked scream was enough to send the bear scurrying up a 40-foot-tall tree. "I was making a pot of coffee, and I turned around and there he was in the window looking at me," Grossman said, according to AP. "For a minute I didn't realize there was a glass between him and me. "

A Pittsburgh zoo's 2-year-old polar bear is recovering Monday after root canal surgery. Last month, zookeepers at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium examined the bear after they noticed that he seemed lethargic. They discovered that Koda's quadrant mandibular canine - a big, fang-like tooth on the lower right side of his jaw - was infected. Dr. Tom Klein, a veterinary dentist at Ohio State University who operated on Koda, said the infection in the tooth could have spread to the jaw if it wasn't dealt with.

Polar Bear Club officials blamed the rain for a poor turn out to splash around in the 48 degree waves on New Year's Day. Every year the club sponsors a New Year's Day charity swim on Coney Island in New York. This year 200 people came to celebrate and swim with the 90 member Polar Bear Club, who swim the icy waters weekly from October to April. This year the swim benefited Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. The club raised $25,000 Monday, half of their $50,000 goal. About 500 people showed last year for the swim. Club spokesman Louie Scarcella said, "It's psychological, I think. Some people don't like the rain. "

A hungry polar bear had reportedly cornered a group of Russians at an Arctic weather station for two days. The polar bear had been stranded by melted ice and rampaged through the house. The meteorologists and two gamekeepers "hid in the attic, where they sat two days. They waited until they got permission to shoot the animal, which was given by the environmental ministry in Moscow," according to sources.

The Marine Reserves Toys for Tots program rejected 4,000 talking Jesus dolls donated by Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co. one2believe division. The company said it was disappointed and surprised by the program's decision. Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, said they could not accept the donation based on the fact that the toys are distributed at random.