WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

A CANADIAN family has survived a scary encounter with a grizzly bear after waking up to find the animal helping itself to the contents of their pantry.

The couple admit they are lucky to be alive, and probably have their dog to thank, after he alerted them to the early morning intruder.

Niki and Mark Traverse live in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, surrounded by national parks, rivers, woodlands and mountains.

When Ms Traverse went to the kitchen at around 5am to see what all the fuss was about, she froze in fear as she saw the animal ransacking the house.

“It started eating cat food and dog food. Didn’t even touch the garbage,” she told CBC News.

She quickly went back to the bedroom to get her husband who grabbed his rifle and shot the large male grizzly.

“I went to the kitchen, turned the light on and where the bear was, he came at me and I took a shot,” he said.

“By the time I reloaded the gun, he took a step more towards me, and I took another shot and he hit the floor, and he was still moving, so put another one in him, and that was the end of him.”

When authorities arrived on the scene a short while later, they identified the animal as a 15-year-old male.

According to officials, it’s unusual for a grizzly to enter a house, but the bear was reportedly malnourished and in search of food. The animal had pushed in a screen and climbed through a window to get into the kitchen.

With the bear desperate for a meal, it could’ve easily been a different story for the couple.

The incident at the Traverse home came roughly the same time a hiker was “partially consumed” by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park.

With the fierce debate around hunting that has played out in the media recently, outspoken huntress Kendal Jones took to social media to promote the actions of Mr Traverse in shooting the animal.

She posted the picture of the dead bear to her Facebook page, appearing to revel in the killing.

“‘Like’ if you would SHOOT this grizzly bear inside your house in the middle of the night? If you wouldn’t shoot it ... well I’m sorry, there is no ‘Dislike’ button for you. #awwshucks,’” she wrote.

At the time of writing, the post has received over 22,000 likes and 3,000 comments, with a majority in agreement.

Others expressed revulsion, questioning the necessity of shooting the animal.

“I liked you until this post. Yes, I would shoot a bear or anything that comes into my house. But this post ... Really,” wrote a Florida woman, Vivki Delbagno.

“I would never shoot a bear,” commented Texas woman, Thelma Magouirk.