Thanks to a video that’s making the rounds this week, the rest of the world is learning what cottagers have known for years: if there’s food behind a door, bears will find a way to open it.
The video, shot by Rebecca Moore, shows a black bear opening the doors of her husband’s pickup truck outside of their home in Maple Ridge, B.C. Before climbing into the truck, the bear also opened the sliding door of her minivan.
Moore and her husband easily shooed the bear away, but considering how casually the bear stood on its hind legs and opened the truck door, this clearly wasn’t its first time in a vehicle.
Denny Chretien, an officer with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, told CBC News that there have been similar incidents in the area. “It’s not a common behaviour, but it is occurring,” he said.
And in case you think simply locking the door would solve the problem, Chretien advised that keeping cars free of food and garbage is the key to avoiding bear break-ins. “There are just so many things to grip on in a vehicle, and they’ll just start ripping,” he said.
In addition to keeping food out of your vehicles, you might also consider not leaving your key under the mat. Door handles could be just the first step before bears discover the Tim Hortons drive-through window.
