EVERGREEN, Colo. — You can’t blame a bear for ravaging a car in search for food to gorge on. I mean, I’d do it too if I had gone four months without eating and suddenly got a whiff of pepperoni pizza and buffalo hot wings.
Still though, things like this shouldn’t be happening, and state wildlife officials say a recent incident in Evergreen is a good reminder for people to lock up their cars and remove any items that may attract them in bear country.
As it turns out, a bear who recently emerged from hibernation in Evergreen smelled something he really liked and went after it, completely destroying a car in the process on Wednesday.
“It’s hard to tell what food attracted it because everything is torn up. Side panels, airbags, dash all gone,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday morning.
Though the bear was able to get in, they were not smart enough to know how to get out. So one CPW officer had to respond to the area to let the ursine out.
Bears are waking up and lock up your cars! Look at what one bear did to a car in Evergreen on Wednesday. It's hard to tell what food attracted it because everything is torn up. Side panels, airbags, dash all gone. Our officer responded and let the bear out. pic.twitter.com/rPPledxTP2
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) April 10, 2025
A good reminder to secure your valuables
The incident in Evergreen is just one of a growing number of encounters with people or their property in the state of Colorado.
In 2024, data shows that CPW received 5,022 such reports. Of those, nearly half resulted in property damage.
State wildlife officials told Denver7 the agency knows that sometimes people don't report bear activity because they believe wildlife officers will euthanize the animal. But agency officials said of the 5,022 bear-related reports from 2024, just 1.95% led to euthanization.
CPW has the following recommendations for how to bear-proof your home, cars and campsites, and protect livestock:
Bear-proofing your home:
- Keep garbage in a well-secured location. Only put out garbage on the morning of pickup.
- Clean garbage cans regularly to keep them free of food odors: ammonia is effective.
- Keep garage doors closed, Do not leave pet food or stock feed outside.
- Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
- Bird feeders are a major source of bear/human conflicts. Attract birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Do not hang bird feeders from April 15 to Nov. 15.
- Don’t allow bears to become comfortable around your house. If you see one, haze it by yelling at it, throwing things at it and making loud noises to scare it off.
- Secure compost piles. Bears are attracted to the scent of rotting food.
- Clean the grill after each use, clean-up thoroughly after cookouts.
- If you have fruit trees, don't allow the fruit to rot on the ground.
- Talk to your neighbors and kids about being Bear Aware.
Bear-proofing your car and campsites:
- Lock your doors when you’re away from home and at night.
- Keep the bottom floor windows of your house closed when you're not at home.
- Do not keep food in your vehicle; roll up windows and lock the doors of your vehicles.
- When car-camping, secure all food and coolers in a locked vehicle.
- Keep a clean camp, whether you’re in a campground or in the backcountry.
- When camping in the backcountry, hang food 100 feet or more from the campsite; don’t bring any food into your tent.
- Cook food well away from your tent; wash dishes thoroughly.
Bear-proofing your chickens, bees, livestock:
- Keep chickens, bees and livestock in a fully covered enclosure, especially at night.
- Construct electric fencing when possible.
- Don’t store livestock feed outside.
- Keep enclosures clean to minimize animal odors.
- Hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure as a scent deterrent.
If you see a bear causing an issue in an urban area, call your local CPW office. To learn more about living with bears in Colorado, click here.
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