Tahoe bear needs driving lessons, wrecks car
By Justin B. Phillips, Contra Costa Times
It was 3:30am, and Brian McCarthy was fast asleep when a bear took his 2002 Toyota Prius for a test drive. The Pleasanton man’s car had been parked in the driveway of his west Lake Tahoe cabin.
After wedging itself inside the car, the bear became stuck. Frustrated, hungry and mad, it kicked, scratched, bit and tore at the interior of the hybrid, trying to force a way out as easily as it found its way in.
In its behind-the-wheel rampage, the bear ripped open the seats, bit a chunk out of the steering wheel and damaged the Prius’ gear box, shifting the car into neutral.
From the safety of the cabin, the awakened family watched helplessly as the commandeered Prius slowly started rolling out of the driveway.
“Our son was the first one who woke up, and he was watching the bear through the window,” McCarthy said. “We were looking out of our bedroom window and from our view, you could look down and see the bear in the car, and its arms were just flailing all over the place, through the windows and everything.”
Bears have an incredible sense of smell. They will break into a car because of the smell from an air freshener, or an old gum wrapper. To help deter break ins, place an open container of regular pinesol in the car when not in use.
I have not had a bear in my vehicle since.
Also good to spray regular pinesol on your garbage to keep them out of that too!
You are so right Holly. I had a bear in my car 2 mornings in a row and called the Bear League for ideas and they suggested this: Put Pinesol in the plastic containers with the snap on lids. I had 2 containers full that I’d leave in the car. Once a week at night I’d take the lid off and then snap it back on when I got back in the car in the morning. With kids and carpooling their friends I never knew what food smell could have remained…never saw the bear in my car again and so easy to keep the little containers in the car.
How did the bear fit in the prius? Was it eating Granola Bars, only junk food in a prius. That is a really hairy situation!
What about the rest of the story!!
More proof that hybrids are not friendly to the environment
Maybe the bear was a tree hugger and not a tree scratcher..