Trapped bear tries clawing its way out of SUV in North Carolina. Photos show outcome

It’s been proven that bears can open car doors, but they’re not good at getting out if the door closes behind them.

At that point, you can kiss the interior of a vehicle goodbye.

This happened Wednesday in Jackson County, North Carolina, and photos of the aftermath were posted on Facebook by Blue Ridge Public Safety, based in Sapphire.

The photos, which have been shared hundreds of times, show the bear used its teeth and claws to rip and pull at everything it could reach, leaving the vehicle gutted. The rampage happened in the Holly Forest area near Cashiers and the agency didn’t say how exactly the bear got out.

“Bears can smell breath mints, gum, old food containers and empty drink cans,” the agency wrote. “As you can see in these pictures, a bear got trapped inside of a vehicle this morning when the door shut behind him. When it comes to a Bear vs Vehicle, the bear will win.”

The agency used the photos as a warning, telling people to lock vehicle doors during a season when black bear sightings typically rise.

However, encounters with humans are expected to increase even more this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Bears that once sneaked past unseen can now be easily spotted, experts say.

“With more people staying home due to COVID-19, biologists with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission expect more bear sightings in neighborhoods to occur,” the commission said on Facebook.

“If left alone, most bears that wander into a neighborhood will quickly retreat to their natural habitat, particularly if no food source is around.”

Unfortunately, the pandemic will also coincide with bear mating season, starting in June, the commission says.

Multiple commenters on the Blue Ridge Public Safety Facebook page said they, too, had a bear get into their vehicle as it sat parked.

“I was lucky when the bear got in my Yukon Dinali years ago. At least the door stayed opened,” Flo Mizelle Smiley wrote on the department’s Facebook page.

“It would be a public service if someone could teach them to exit the car the same way they entered. The door handle!” Andy Elliott posted.

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Trapped bear tries clawing its way out of SUV in North Carolina. Photos show outcome."