DENVILLE -- A 400-pound bear was shot and killed by authorities after it ripped through a man’s screened porch and devoured his daughter’s pet rabbit, police said.

The bear intruded on Joe McCabe’s Old Boonton Road property, near the county’s Tourne Park, around 5 p.m. Sunday, attracting the 41-year-old man’s attention as it chewed on an object in the backyard.

It had also rummaged through his garbage that had been left outside, he said.

The bear had two tags in its ear, McCabe said, which means it had been observed by a state biologist.

McCabe, a hunter who has had several bear encounters on the property, said he didn’t realize the animal had eaten his 11-year-old daughter’s rabbit until he saw a large hole in the porch screen. The 3-year-old rabbit, named Blackie, was usually kept on the porch, he said, and pieces of rabbit fur and blood provided hints of its fate.

"She was devastated," he said of his daughter.

Police found the bear in a tree near McCabe’s home, where it was shot, Denville Police Lt. Paul Nigro said. Police considered it a dangerous Category 1 bear, he said.

A state fish and wildlife official was expected to claim the bear’s carcass Monday.

Darlene Yuhas, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said she was unaware of the incident and therefore could not comment.

McCabe said he was told by local animal control officer Meredith Petrillo that he faced a $1,000 fine for not taking his trash indoors.

"The animal control officer said that because we left the garbage outside, they had to shoot the bear," he said.

Petrillo deferred questions to Denville police, and Nigro did not confirm if there would be a punishment.

"The case is still under investigation," Nigro said.

Denville law requires residents to secure their trash and prevents them from feeding wildlife, he said.

If residents want to leave their trash outside, the township sells bear-resistant garbage cans that screw down, he said.