Black bears’ sense of smell is thought to be around seven times more powerful than a bloodhound‘s. Because they have such a keen sense of smell, black bears have found themselves in the most peculiar areas.  A couple was driving in a parking lot when they spotted a black bear roaming about. Depending on where you are, this may not be that abnormal. As the car came to a halt, they were trying to deter the bear from the area. If you’re ever in a situation where you need to do this, make loud noises by yelling, slamming pots and pans, or using an air horn to frighten the bear away. By flailing your arms, you can make yourself appear as large as possible. Stand closely together with your arms lifted above your head if you’re with someone else. The couple in the car are in absolute awe when the black bear walks up to a parked car and proceeds to casually open the front passenger door. Without knowing what to do the driver honks multiple times to attempt to scare the bear out of the vehicle.  Chances are if a bear ever enters a vehicle, they likely smell food. They can even smell a piece of gum in your car from 20 miles away! A male black bear can weigh up to 660 pounds, while females weigh about 180 pounds. Their weight isn’t enough to destroy the interior of your car.

Bear-Proofing Your Car

They have long, sharp nails that will dig into every surface of a vehicle and due to their large width, they’ll likely break a few things while inside. We’re not sure what happened after the couple stopped filming, but we hope the bear made it out safely and there wasn’t too much damage to the car.  We can’t blame bears for being curious creatures. If you live in bear country and want to avoid one of them sneaking into your vehicle, there are some things you can do! For starters, never leave any food of any kind in your car. As we said, even gum can attract them.  Keep the car windows rolled up when you’re not using the vehicle. Be sure to lock the doors because bears all know how to open car doors if unlocked. Put an open container of Pinesol on the front seat and replace the lid on it before driving. Now you should have a bear-proof vehicle! 

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