A couple in Durango, Colorado woke up to a wild car theft: Someone had tried to take their SUV for a joyride, but crashed it into a mailbox not far from the driveway. The thief, it turned out, was a confused bear.
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The bear somehow got into the SUV and ripped apart the inside, destroying the steering column, radio and back windows. In all of that effort, it knocked the parking brake loose, beginning a short ride down the driveway.
According to the Durango Herald, officers have responded to more than 200 bear-related calls so far this year, compared to 56 total bear calls last year. This summer has been hard on the bear population, as a late frost cut down on the natural food supplies they rely on in the mountains—driving them toward humans’ garbage cans and anything that seems like a potential food source. In May, another “huge (expletive) bear” was trapped in a woman’s SUV in Durango, but that one didn’t manage to take the vehicle anywhere—it just trashed the interior trying to get out.
The owners of the car were at least in good spirits about the ordeal, joking, “Usually, I don’t get up at 5 o’clock unless there is a bear driving a car down the street.”
