SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Hungry Yosemite Bears Zero In on Minivans
from the San Francisco Chronicle
The rebellious bears of Yosemite Valley have developed a taste for that old standard of the suburban family life, the minivan. The kid-friendly vehicles are quickly becoming a bear necessity along with handouts and garbage slop, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Mammalogy.
Specifically, the burly bruins select minivans over all other types of vehicles, no matter how sporty, colorful or expensive, and rip them open looking for grub, said the study "Selective Foraging for Anthropogenic Resources by Black Bears: Minivans in Yosemite National Park."
"They target minivans," said Stewart Breck, a research biologist with the National Wildlife Research Center, who co-authored the study. "They will pop open windows, peel open a door, rip out back seats. They can do a lot of damage."
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