You’d be forgiven for thinking the following events took place in Jellystone Park. It has all the essentials of a Yogi Bear cartoon, after all: hungry bear, snacks, a ranger (well, a “wildlife employee”, but “bear” with us here) and much carnage.
But this actually happened for real in North East Colorado.
A bear sneaks into a car that’s been left with its door open, apparently in search of some M&Ms (you can see the packet on the floor of the vehicle) and proceeds to redecorate the interior in style known as “totally trashed” before a ranger (sorry “wildlife employee”) opens the passenger side door and shoos the bear off.
This is another reason why bear habituation is a bad thing.
The video was recently posted on YouTube by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, who also shared the photos below on X (the social media network formerly known as Twitter), showing the mess the bear left behind:
👀 Look at what a bear can do to a car when they’re hungry and smell food left inside 👀 pic.twitter.com/asvwA1BZJ5November 20, 2023
You may not want to look too carefully at the photo that proves bears don’t just s**t in the woods.
You have to wonder what the car owners put on their insurance claim.
So remember, never leave food in an open car in bear country. Because the picnic basket-loving Yogi Bear was clearly a walking public service announcement as well as a popular cartoon character.
Bears can be very dangerous, too. Attacks in the US are rare, according to the National Park Service, but they do happen, so it’s best not to tempt fate. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.
- From bears to bad decisions: 9 hazards you can’t outrun on a hike
