Bear attracted to ‘stinky’ carcass tries to raid CO officer’s truck. See the evidence
A persistent bear tried its best to bust into a Colorado wildlife officer’s truck to get at the “stinky” carcass inside — and left behind lots of evidence of the attempted raid.
Photos posted by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s southeast region on Twitter show huge paw prints on the truck’s doors and roof.
“It had tried to open both doors,” officials said on the July 20 post. “And it left a nose print on the rear window!”
It’s a good example of what not to do, and a reminder to remove smelly items that will attract bears to your car, officials said.
“In this case, CPW Officer Drew Vrbenec had been carrying a stinky deer carcass,” officials said. “More common are groceries, soda, candy, air fresheners that bring bears.”
“Couldn’t the bear see the dept of wildlife sign on the truck??” someone joked.
It’s one of several such incidents in Colorado as hungry bears search for food.
To prevent attracting bears to your car or home, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials recommend:
Keep garbage secured and only put it out the morning it gets picked up.
Clean garbage cans regularly (with ammonia if you can) to cut down on odors that attract bears.
Keep garage doors closed, and don’t leave pet food or stock feed outside.
Use bear-resistant trash cans or dumpsters.
Avoid bird feeders between April 15 to Nov. 15. You can naturally attract birds with flowers and water baths instead.
Don’t let bears get comfortable around your home. You should haze them if you spot one, by yelling, making noise and throwing things at it to scare it off.
Secure compost piles, as bears are attracted to the smell of rotting food.
Clean grills after every use, and clean up well after cookouts.
Don’t allow fruit to rot on the ground around fruit trees.
Lock doors when you’re away from home and overnight.
Keep bottom-floor windows closed when you’re not at home.
To bear-proof your car:
Don’t keep food in your car, and roll up windows and lock car doors.
Lock car doors when car-camping and secure food and coolers inside.
Clean up your campsite, whether you’re camping at a campground or in the backcountry.
If you’re camping in the backcountry, hang food 100 feet away (or more) from the campsite. Don’t bring food into your tent.
Cook far from your campsite and wash dishes thoroughly.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Bear attracted to ‘stinky’ carcass tries to raid CO officer’s truck. See the evidence."
