A Black Bear Bandit Terrorizes a Small Town

A Black Bear Bandit Terrorizes a Small Town

Police in Thornton, NH, could “bearly” believe their eyes when they found out “who” was responsible for a series of car break-ins in a usually quiet neighborhood.

Surveillance video helped police get to the bottom of a series of vehicle break-ins in the town of Thornton. But they were quite surprised when home security footage revealed that the bandit was a black bear! The bear was caught red-handed, or should that be red-pawed? Opening the door of a vehicle and then crawling inside.

Police believe the bear was rummaging for food and that the bear is responsible for damaging other vehicles. Police warned residents to remove food from their vehicles to avoid enticing the bear.

The good news is the criminal is unarmed and probably not dangerous. Officials say that making loud noises is usually enough to send a black bear scampering away.

This particular brown bear was clever enough to open the car doors and search for food. The animal was unharmed in the incidents.

This isn’t the only incident of a bear carjacking that has graced headlines in the past few weeks. Earlier this month, an art teacher from Houston County got the shock of her life after coming face to face with a black bear that had managed to get itself trapped in her car.

It’s never a good idea to leave your car unattended while you are journeying through the woods in the countryside of the United States. For starters, your car might get robbed or damaged by passing vehicles. However, the strongest possibility is that it might be noticed by wild animals.

Mary Jane Yarbrough, a teacher at Warner Robins High School in Houston County, said she was in disbelief when she saw the animal locked inside her parked car. Unfortunately for her, the bear had rummaged so aggressively, the interiors of her car were in shambles.

Last year, a group of friends filmed the moment when a fully-grown bear made his way through the woods and approached their unattended vehicle, which was parked in the middle of a winding road. A few seconds later, the bear got frisky and managed to pull open the front door of the vehicle.

Earlier this month, a California teen, Hailey Morinico, made headlines when she warded off a black bear that was attempting to jump her fence and attack her dogs.

While none of these encounters between humans and bears ended in any harm to the bear or the people involved, other cases were not so lucky. Wildlife experts nationwide say that encounters between bears and humans are on the rise as homes continue to encroach on the bear’s habitats. Some of these encounters end tragically – for the animals.

In May of this year, a bear was shot and killed by authorities in the backyard of an Oregon homeowner. “We’re not surprised that bears are on the move. We’ve known that for a long time,” said Micah Holmes of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “The only surprising thing was it was in someone’s backyard.”

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