So a bear walks into a liquor store.
Claudio Brunetti of Revelstoke, B.C., can laugh about it now, but what happened on Monday evening was no joke at the time.
“The bear came barreling down the street. I don’t know why, but right down to the end of the block in front of my pub,” said Brunetti, owner of, fittingly enough, Grizzly Sports Bar and Grill and the Last Call Liquor Store.
“And then he just bolted right into the store – the door was open. I have it open because of COVID, so you don’t have to touch the door.”
Video shows the black bear rumbling down the sidewalk before making a sharp right turn into the store, as if it was intentionally shopping for spirits or a six-pack.
“Then he did a stroll down the aisle,” Brunetti said, adding a customer from Europe at the counter “freaked out” because he was just feet from the animal.
Brunetti said he yelled at the bear, which turned around and left. He estimated it was around 250 pounds.
Asked if he’s come up with any jokes, Brunetti laughed, stating: “I didn’t ID him, I couldn’t serve him. There’s all kinds of jokes going on.”
It’s not common, he added, but wildlife do appear on the streets of Revelstoke, especially during fall.
On a more serious note, hundreds of bears are killed every year as a result of interactions with people.
The province’s Bear Smart Community program has many tips on how to avoid bear-human conflicts.
To view the program, click here.