Smarter than the average bear

"I'm smarter than the average bear." - Yogi Bear

For you summertime travelers, here's a question I'm sure you've been worried about; if I travel to a National Park, what type of car is a bear most likely to break into? Well worry no more! The Journal of Mammalogy studied bear attacks in Yosemite Park published the following...

From 2001 to 2007, bears broke into 908 vehicles at the following rates: minivan (26.0%), sport–utility vehicle (22.5%), small car (17.1%), sedan (13.7%), truck (11.9%), van (4.2%), sports car (1.7%), coupe (1.7%), and station wagon (1.4%). Only use of minivans (29%) during 2004–2005 was significantly higher than expected (7%).

Bottom Line

Today it is rare to see a bear at a US National Park. My grandparents have photos of bears checking out cars when whey visited Yellowstone in the 40's. But I never saw one at Yellowstone in recent decades. Today any bear that gets near people is drugged by rangers and transported far away. Bears may be cute but they are dangerous; they can easily rip open cars and trailers to get to food inside. Do not encourage bears by feeding them.