Ever wonder how strong bears are? If minivan doors could talk, brawny and plenty would likely be among the replies.
This week, an Alberta woman with property in B.C. sent Global News doorcam video of a mother bear breaking into a neighbour’s minivan at Red Mountain Resort near Rossland.
“Thought it was interesting to see how easy bears can get into a van,” said Shannon Tomasek of Calgary.
With two cubs tagging along, the bear slowly saunters its way to the minivan, then notices the driver’s side window is partially left open.
Spotting opportunity, the bear then begins muscling the window, trying to move it out of the way. At one point, the bear is so determined at breaking in that she places both hind legs on the door while trying to press the window.
Eventually, the bear does exactly that, and squirms into the minivan after overpowering the window and driving it down.
Not long after, one of the two cubs joins her inside the minivan in the search for food.
“I think the bear was looking for food,” Tomasek told Global News. “It must have smelled something good in there.”
Minutes later, the mother bear exits the minivan, with the cub that joined her inside the vehicle eventually leaving as well.
It’s not known if the bear found something to eat inside the minivan, or left with empty-pawed.
Notably, Tomasek wasn’t at Red Mountain at the time of the bear break-in, with the doorcam electronically notifying her of the 5:15 a.m. incident.
While some will view the doorcam video as cute, it also has a discerning side: Human-wildlife interaction.
“Don’t leave food out,” said Tomasek. “Don’t leave anything that the bear could be attracted to.”