If you live in bear country, it’s vital that you clean up and lock your car before leaving it behind, even if it’s parked outside your house. That means removing any attractants like pet food, bird seed, human food, trash, candy, air fresheners, sunscreen, lip balm, hand lotion or anything else with a strong scent, rolling up all of your windows, and locking the doors.
A black bear’s short, curved claws aren’t just perfect for climbing trees and tearing into logs, they’re also great at opening lever-style door handles like those on the outside of a car door. They’re also quite strong, easily peeling open a window that’s open an inch or two and squeezing in. Once they’re in the car, things can get quickly destructive.
The interior of a car can quickly get hot enough to kill a bear in just a few minutes. It’s not just for their own wellbeing, though. The handles on the inside of a car door aren’t as accessible for a bear, so they’re usually left to claw their way out, something they’re often both smart enough and strong enough to do. That tends to result in some serious damage, as seen in the video below.
This car in the Tahoe area is certainly totaled, likely costing way more than it’s worth to fix the upholstery alone. Plus, even if you can get it fixed, there are a lot of insurance companies that won’t cover damage by an animal. So make sure you clean up and lock up before leaving your car, even if it’s just parked in front of your house or rental.
