Amid "cash for clunkers" and federal bailouts for Detroit, it's certain a lot has happened in the car industry in the past year. Therefore you may have overlooked this headline. "Yosemite Black Bears Select Minivan as 'Car of the Year'." Allow me to explain.
If you haven't received your most recent edition of the Journal of Mammalogy then you'll want to stop reading right here. I'm about to spoil the story for you. For those who may have been too busy to catch up on the most recent issue of cutting edge research on the mammal species, the October 2009 edition takes a close look at the past seven years of vehicle break-ins at the world famous Yosemite National Park in California by black bears. While my writing is certainly tongue and cheek and the topic generally conjures images of Yogi, Boo-Boo, and the gang at Jellystone, bear encounters are becoming a bigger and more serious issue than ever before.
The Journal examined the registered complaints of bear break-ins between 2001 and 2007. The most commonly raided vehicle in the park was a mini-van. There were 908 incidents of black bears in Yosemite helping themselves to the interior of a park visitor's vehicle. Twenty-six percent of those break-ins were to a mini-van. SUV's followed with 22.5 percent. Small cars accounted for 17.1 percent and the sedan received a nod from the bruins only 13.7 percent of the time.
Scientists, as they are want to do, began looking at why the bears actively were more attracted to the mini-van as opposed to other models. They wager in their hypothesis black bears are selective in foraging behavior, although on the whole they'll accept the easiest meal. They're commonly stealing food from homes, cars, trash cans, campers, and coolers.
Researchers reached four conclusions as to why the mini-van was the preferred vehicle for pilfering;
A). A minivan is more likely to emit food odors than any other vehicle. Since they are designed for families, most mini-vans are likely to be hauling children. Parents know where this leads because hauling children makes it much more likely fruit juice, ketchup, cookie crumbs, chocolate residue, french-fries from spilled Happy Meals, and a thousand other treats are likely ground deeply into the upholstery and carpet of the back seats.
B). Since a mini-van in Yosemite is most likely hauling a family, there is a much greater probability there will be food left in the vehicle parked overnight. Therefore, Junior's half-finished chicken nuggets and little Missy's still open can of Pringles shards are probably still hidden under the backseat. Mom may have also left the bologna and potato salad on ice for the evening in a cooler. Therefore, it's probably a rewarding opportunity for the bear to take the risk and trouble of raiding a mini-van for a midnight snack.
C). Engineers in Detroit have made the mini-van more convenient for the average family. Five doors, which include as many as two enormous sliding side portals, make it easier to load and unload young 'uns. They also make it easier to climb in and out if you're a hungry bear.
D). Scientists reason that bears are creatures of habit. They consider many of the break-ins potentially learned behavior among only a select few bears in the park. However, the image and body style of the mini-van may be imprinted on the bear's psyche and when image is associated with food the instinct can be overpowering to the animal.
The thought a bear has enough brain power to actually select a mini-van over any other vehicle, just because it's a mini-van is a bit over the top. Come on! However, as the numbers of black bears increase, the number of human encounters with those animals is also on the rise. The increased interaction is as high in West Virginia as anywhere with a burgeoning black bear population.
Black bears are generally docile creatures that’ll run before they'll fight in most cases. However, they can be destructive on a mission for a meal. This humorous story is something to recall as a reminder when you and your family spend time in areas flush with bears.
