At least this bear emptying the rain barrel isn’t as damaging as the flooding caused by the raccoon who shoved aside the sump pump outside the downstairs french doors. After having the basement flooded twice and replacing a burned out sump pump, we caught the culprit in the act. The basement is about three feet below ground with an outside stairwell leading up to the back patio. The pump sits in a square well about two cubic feet in size. Though the exit hose from the pump was attached to the railing above, there was just enough give for the pump to be shifted and rotated thereby causing the (external) float to get stuck. The first time the float got stuck in the ‘on’ position causing the pump to run long after the water had been emptied from the well and resulting in a burned out motor; the second time the float got stuck in the ‘off’ position causing the water to overflow the well and under the doors into the basement resulting in a moldy carpet and a lot of cleanup.