Unfortunate Colorado Resident Discovers Dead Bear Inside Car It Destroyed After Getting Stuck Inside

Bears tend to be fairly impulsive creatures that act on instinct without having the ability to weigh the consequences of their actions. That frequently results in those animals ending up in places they have no business being, which was the case with one that gave a car owner in Colorado a very unwelcome surprise.

As is the case with most wild animals, bears devote a sizable chunk of their existence to searching for a meal that can give them the energy they need to keep foraging for more food, a largely endless cycle that’s really only interrupted by hibernation and the occasional act of reproduction.

Those massive mammals are known for being opportunists that don’t really discriminate when it comes to getting their fix, and while they typically don’t go out of their way to target people, they are more than happy to rifle through trash cans and invade houses and vehicles if they sniff out something enticing.

You subsequently need to take precautions if you live in Bear Country, and there is no shortage of stories highlighting the potential downsides of failing to do so. Now, we’ve been treated to a new one thanks to what recently unfolded in Colorado.

A days-old bear corpse was discovered inside a car in Colorado after it destroyed the interior while trying to escape

Colorado rounds out the Top 10 when it comes to the states with the most bears, as experts believe it’s home to between 17,000 and 20,000 of the black variety.

The vast majority of the population lives west of the central artery that is Interstate 25 and in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. You want to keep your head on a swivel if you wander into the remote regions where they primarily reside, but they aren’t necessarily shy about making their way into more well-populated areas.

That includes Colorado Springs, the city where one man had to shoo a bear out of his pickup truck back in June. That animal was able to make it out of the vehicle without causing any major damage, but that was not the case with a more recent incident.

According to The Denver Gazette, someone in Colorado Springs who went at least a couple of days without driving their car was subjected to an unfortunate scene when they approached the vehicle, as they discovered the corpse of a 300-pound bear that made its way inside by opening a door that managed to close after it infiltrated the sedan.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife shared a few images of the aftermath (before you click, I should note one of them features a non-graphic picture of the deceased bear), and it managed to do a ton of damage to the interior before passing away inside the car, where it was “undiscovered for days in the heat.”

A representative for the wildlife department used the sad incident to stress that people should always make sure they lock the doors of their vehicles if they’re in bear territory.

They also noted it’s a bigger issue than you may think; a bear caused similar damage in Manitou Springs while spending hours locked inside a car before it was released at the end of July, and one man filmed himself using a rope to free one that got stuck in an SUV just outside of Boulder around a week before that transpired.

You’ve been warned.