While stopping for gas at a Chevron station near Lake Tahoe, California, motorist Alex Carreles noticed something unusual. There, in one of the trash cans lining the filling area, he saw the plump and furry hind end of an animal sticking out.
Carreles approached it for a better look, realizing it was, in fact, a young bear, who appeared to be totally distracted, diving inside the trash can looking for a snack.
In jest, Carreles debated whether or not he should touch the fluffy butt within his reach, capturing that encounter on video:
Fortunately, the bear wasn’t exactly stuck.
Follow-up footage shows the young bear in another trash can at the station, this time fully inside.
An employee at the Chevron station told The Dodo that the bear has been dropping by the station for the past several nights, emerging from the surrounding forest. Though the bear poses little threat to people, his apparent comfort with being around humans is a cause of concern.
So, local wildlife advocates from the nonprofit organization BEAR League were alerted to the situation.
BEAR League founder Ann Bryant told The Dodo that the young bear is likely an orphan, but that he’s beyond the age of needing to be rescued. Instead, she and her team plan to use indirect means of teaching the bear to avoid people — by shouting and clapping their hands when he approaches the gas station on a future visit to scare him back into the woods.
Bryant readily admits that young cubs like him are cute and inspire sympathy, but she knows that the best way to help them is to teach them to be wary of being around people.
“There’s plenty of natural food for bears in the forest this time of year, a lot of pinecones and berries,” Bryant said. “If we can get him to not seek out food in trash cans, he should have enough to eat before hibernation begins in the next couple of months. I’m optimistic that he’ll do just fine.”
To learn more about BEAR League, and for helpful tips for peacefully coexisting with wildlife, visit their website here.
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