Moment Bear Steals Entire Cooler From Truck In Parking Lot Caught On Camera

When preparing for a day out on the trails, you should bring water, food, sunscreen and, depending on where you are, possibly bear spray — or at least be careful about how you pack your vehicle.

A hiking family captured an incredible moment in a parking lot at Emerald Bay State Park in California and shared it on their Instagram account, @keepitrealwiththeruiz, on June 27. A bear was making its rounds in the parking lot when its nose caught the scent of something delicious.

Bears have an incredibly keen sense of smell, about seven times more keen than that of a hunting dog. Knowing that something was nearby, the bear jumped on the cars and sniffed out the one that piqued his curiosity.

The family kept a safe distance but filmed the entire encounter as the bear found a cooler to take home in the back of someone’s truck. Without hesitation, the bear lifted the cooler with its mouth and ran off with its treasure.

The caption reads: “Friendly reminder to not leave coolers on the bed of your truck.”

In another video, the Instagrammer commented that she thought it was “so cool to see this up close” and couldn’t believe her eyes.

However, she said Newsweek via Instagram that they didn’t stay long enough to see the truck owner’s reaction.

Luckily, the bear didn’t rip the doors off and trash the truck, as others have experienced. Bears will stop at nothing to get their hands on food. They’ve adapted to the humans around them, learning to open car doors and bear-proof containers.

“That’s power”

The incredible encounter quickly gained attention, generating over 4.8 million views, 136,208 likes and 2,017 comments on Instagram as of Monday. Viewers were left in awe of how it all unfolded.

“Oh my gosh! I love how silly and curious bears can be when you watch them from a safe distance,” one person said.

“Imagine coming back from your hike and thinking some random person stole your Yeti cooler from your truck,” wrote one commenter.

A third person commented: “Just take a moment to appreciate how this bear carried a full cooler in his mouth and didn’t even blink. Now that’s power.”

Others expressed concern that the person who left the cooler was breaking the law.

According to the California State Parks website, all food, beverages and toiletries must be stored in designated food lockers, day and night, as required by law. The exception is when preparing or eating food.

This law is being put in place because “black bears are currently very active in Emerald Bay.” No coolers are to be stored in vehicles. Violations will be punished.

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