Hungry Bear Steals Taco Bell Right Off Customer’s Front Porch

Black bears are remarkably adaptable animals with an extraordinary sense of smell that constantly guides them in their search for food. While they typically forage and hunt in their natural habitats, the allure of easy, high-calorie meals often draws them into urban neighborhoods. In this YouTube video, an audacious black bear steals a family’s Taco Bell order right off their front porch!

Bear Behavior and Feeding Habits

Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet primarily consists of plants like roots, berries, and grasses. However, they will also eat animal-based protein when they can find it, including fish, insects, larvae, and meat from young elk, moose, and deer. A bear’s diet changes throughout the year, adapting to the seasons, their individual needs, and the availability of food.

Getting plenty to eat is especially important for black bears in the fall as they prepare for winter. While they don’t truly hibernate, they enter a state called torpor. This is similar to hibernation, but it is not as deep a sleep. During this time, the bears don’t forage or hunt, relying entirely on the fat reserves they built up in the fall. To pack on these essential pounds, black bears eat almost constantly during the fall, focusing on calorie-dense and nutrient-rich foods.

Black bears are opportunistic eaters and have an incredible sense of smell. The area inside a bear’s nose, called the nasal mucosa, is about 100 times larger than that of a human’s, allowing them to smell significantly better than we can. Experts believe a black bear can detect a scent from a mile or two away, or perhaps even farther. This extraordinary sense of smell helps the bears detect even the tiniest particles of odor so they can find food in both their natural habitat and human settlements.

Why Bears Choose Garbage Over the Wild

Black bears are incredibly smart and adaptable. They quickly learn and remember where to find the best food sources, including those in human neighborhoods. Human settlements often offer easy access to high-calorie foods, especially in unsecured garbage cans.

Unsecured trash is the primary reason bears come into human neighborhoods. However, they’re also attracted to other tempting scents like compost piles (especially those with meat and fruit), bird feeders, and pet food. Finding food in their natural habitat requires a lot of time and energy, but raiding a trash can or an outdoor pet food bowl is quick and efficient, saving the bear valuable time and energy.

This is particularly appealing in the fall when bears need to consume as many calories as possible to prepare for winter. Many human foods are packed with nutrients and calories, offering a much quicker and easier meal than spending hours foraging in the wild. Think of it like this: if you’re in a hurry or low on energy, grabbing a quick meal from a drive-thru is often more appealing than spending all day cooking in the kitchen.

Bears also venture into neighborhoods when their own natural food sources are scarce. This can happen in early spring when plants are just beginning to grow, or if their main food sources didn’t produce enough that year.

Human Expansion and Conflicts

As human populations grow and expand into bear habitats, our leftover garbage becomes an even greater temptation for hungry bears. The closer our homes are to their territory, the more likely bears are to raid our trash at night. This expansion also cuts off natural pathways for bears, breaking up their usual territories and making it harder for them to find enough natural food. For a hungry and tired bear, finding easy food in urban areas is a huge incentive. With the popularity of food delivery apps that bring meals right to your front door, there is concern that food left outside could attract bears. As seen in the YouTube video, if you don’t bring your food inside quickly, a bear might get to your meal first!

Unfortunately, this close contact leads to many conflicts between humans and bears. Having wild bears in neighborhoods can be dangerous for both humans and the bears themselves. The National Park Service has a saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear.” This is because once bears get used to human areas, they can become a threat to public safety. Wildlife officials may try to capture and relocate a bear that becomes a problem in human neighborhoods, but in certain situations, they may have to euthanize it without attempting relocation.

How Human Food Harms Black Bears

When bears find food in human areas, they quickly associate food with humans and become “habituated.” This means they lose their natural fear and caution around humans, becoming more active in neighborhoods and looking for food wherever people are present. Bears can even change their daily routines, becoming nocturnal to avoid humans while foraging in urban areas.

Bears are also frequently hit by cars while crossing roads in search of human food. The human foods and non-food items that bears find in the trash can also make them sick. While human foods might offer more calories, they often lack the balanced diet a bear needs, leading to sickness, long-term health issues, and dental problems. The more a bear relies on humans for food, the less capable it becomes of surviving in the wild.

Preventing Human-Bear Conflicts

One of the best ways to prevent dangerous conflicts with bears in urban areas is to always secure your trash and recycling. If possible, store them in your garage overnight and only put them out on the morning of pickup. Even empty containers can attract the super-sensitive nose of a hungry bear. You can also consider getting bear-resistant garbage cans and dumpsters.

Here are more helpful ways to prevent hungry bears from coming into your neighborhood:

• Remove bird feeders from April through November, as this is when bears are most active.

• Never leave pet food outside overnight.

• If you compost, keep it contained and enclosed, and avoid adding meat and fruit.

• Make sure all birdseed, pet food, and compost are securely stored.

• Thoroughly clean barbecue grills after each use and store them securely.

• Promptly harvest ripe fruit from trees and pick up any fallen fruit.

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