Man learns the hard way that bear cubs can open car doors – and don't like being interrupted

Black bear cub in tree.

Keeping your car doors locked is extremely important when black bears are around. The animals are opportunistic and intelligent, and easily able to operate a handle if they suspect there may be an easy meal inside.

They act fast too, as two men recently discovered after leaving their car unlocked for just a moment in bear country. After only a few seconds, the pair turned to find a cub on its hind legs, opening the driver's side door to investigate. The men tried to scare it off, but the cub gave chase, sending one of the pair tumbling down a steep bank.

A video of the encounter was shared on infamous Instagram account TouronsOfNationalParks, which calls out bad behavior at sites of natural beauty around the world. These often involve wildlife, with recent incidents including a shirtless man chasing wolves, a Montana tourist poking a moose (with predictable results), and a woman trying to pet a bison.

A post shared by @touronsofnationalparks

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We don't know what happened after the clip finished, but hopefully the only thing bruised was the man's dignity.

Be bear aware

Habituation is a serious problems for wildlife, changing animals' behavior and increasing the chances of encounters with people. It's important to keep your food out of reach of bears, as well as toiletries and anything else with a strong smell that may attract their attention. 

That's particularly important in areas like National Parks with a high population of bears, "In some parks, food may be stored inside your car as long as it is out of sight, with windows completely closed, and only during daylight hours," advises the National Park Service.

"Never store food in a pickup truck bed or strapped to the outside of a vehicle. In other parks, all food must be removed from your car and stored in lockers. Remember to clear your car of food wrappers, crumbs in baby seats, baby wipes, and even canned food and drinks."

For more details of what to do in a close encounter, see our guides what to do if you meet a bear and how to use bear spray.

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