As seen in a video, which was shared with several local news stations, a bear cub peeks through the car window and managed to open it, prompting Bill Duvall to quickly pull the door shut before it could make its way into his car.
Duvall told ABC7 in an interview shared on Twitter that he just parked in his driveway after picking up a corned beef sandwich and noticed two bear cubs approaching the car as he began to open the door. He said one cub must have smelled the sandwich because it immediately went straight to the car.
“This went on three or four times, and then finally the cub kind of got the message it couldn’t get in because I locked the door,” he said.
Duvall’s wife, Sandy, told Fox 11 that it’s not uncommon to spot bears near their home—something that some people living in areas that are also home to bears can relate to.
She wrote to Newsweek that their home has a natural pond, which is something that has drawn the bears in due to issues with vegetation and water from droughts.
The cubs’ mother was in the pond herself, but did not approach Bill.
“The new generation of bears only know how to survive in the city,” Sandy said. “So, they are becoming more aggressive and not afraid. Over the years, if you yell at the bears they move on.”
Although Sandy said she wasn’t concerned about the bears in the past, she is now. “People should be more responsible,” she added. “Don’t feed them and do the right thing.”
In a phone interview, Sandy also told Newsweek that the community has not seen bears break into cars or houses, but that is something that’s started to happen.
“We have a problem, and it’s our problem and we have to solve it,” she said. “Otherwise, the bears are going to get euthanized.”
Many agencies encourage people to do what they can to “bear-proof” their homes.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has a list of suggestions on its website for homeowners to secure their property. This includes using bear-proof garbage bins, waiting until the morning of collection day to put out the trash and keeping scented products inside, whether they are food products or not. This may include sunblock, bug spray and soap.
If a bear manages to make its way inside a house, officials added that homeowners should try to not confront the bear.
“Most bears will quickly look for an escape route,” the agency said. “Move away to a safe place. Do not block exit points. If the bear does not leave, get to a safe place and call 911.”
A bear found in a homeowner’s yard is likely to move on without causing much of an issue if there is nothing left out for them. If someone finds themselves approached by a bear, the agency recommends that the individual should make themselves look bigger and wave their arms while yelling at it.
“Black bear attacks are rare in California and typically are defensive in nature because the bear is surprised or defending cubs,” officials with the state’s department of fish and wildlife continued. “However, bears accustomed to people may become too bold and act aggressively.”
Another man recently had his own encounter with a bear while he was napping by a pool, as seen in a video taken by a surveillance camera. Newsweek previously reported that the bear was seen sniffing at the water as the man continued to nap. The bear made its way over to the man before it reached out and touched his foot, waking him up. Once the man sat up, the bear quickly ran away.
