Bears are famously inquisitive regarding food, which is why there are products like bear-proof trash cans and storage containers. The one in this video broke into the back of a Honda CR-V for a snack.
The CR-V was parked at a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. An outdoor-facing security camera was watching the house’s driveway.
The Honda’s rear door appears unlocked because the bear has no problem opening it. The creature is quite patient, though. Rather than immediately crawling into the CR-V, the animal first looks around and adorably scratches its paws.
Finally, the bear climbs into the vehicle. The video ends soon after the creature gets into the Honda. According to the YouTube description, the animal ate some food and stayed inside for about five minutes. There was no damage to the vehicle, and the bear only left empty wrappers inside.
The site Bearwise.org specializes in providing tips for dealing with black bears, which is what this species appears to be. These animals have curved claws that measure around 2.0 inches. Their shape makes it easy for them to open door handles. The advice is to lock a vehicle and not to leave the windows open even a crack, because the creatures can get a grip on them and break the glass.
The site also recommends not leaving anything with an odor in your vehicle, like scented air fresheners, lip balm, or hand lotion. The smell can attract bears.
Big problems can happen if the door shuts while a bear is in the vehicle because while its claws can open the door’s exterior handle, the paws aren’t as adept when getting out of the machine. Once stuck in there, they can get desperate to get out and destroy things.
According to the National Park Service, there are around 900,000 black bears in North America. They live from Maine to Northern Georgia, in addition to the Appalachian Mountains, Northern Midwest, Rocky Mountains, portions of the West Coast, and Alaska. Their weight varies with the season, ranging from about 100 pounds at the leanest part of the year to over 300 pounds when bulking up for the winter.
