‘Who’s in the Car?’ (It’s a Bear.)

A family of eight camping at Bass Lake got a shock when they noticed a silhouette of something inside their car. Turns out, it was a hungry bear. The bear had opened the car door, went to town on a bottle of syrup, and somehow managed to lock itself inside the vehicle.

A California Highway Patrol officer busted the van’s front window so the bear could escape, and, thankfully, no one got hurt. (Although we wouldn’t be surprised if the bear left with a stomachache.)

Irik Edens told local KCRA 3 News: “I noticed there was something moving in the car. [I was] like, ‘Wait a minute, all the kids are down there. Who’s in the car?’ Then I see the silhouette of the bear in the back window and [I was] like, ‘Holy cow! There’s a bear in our car!’”

The bear destroyed the Edens’ van—not a great ending to the couple’s anniversary camping trip. Nevertheless, Edens seemed in good spirits as he recounted the story. He says the family had to rent a vehicle to get home.

Bear Safety Tips

The Edens learned the hard way that bears can open car doors. They had left the doors unlocked, which was not only convenient for them but also for the hungry bear.

The best place to store food in bear country is in a bear locker or other bear-proof container. If you must store food in your vehicle while camping in bear country, make sure the doors stay locked, even during daytime hours.

Carry bear spray and a bear horn while camping in places where bears live.

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