A hungry brown bear has been making headlines for its repeated break-ins at a 7-Eleven store in Olympic Valley, California, where it helps itself to candy bars.
The bear’s late-night escapades have been a source of amusement and concern for the store’s 54-year-old cashier, Christopher Kinson.
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The first incident occurred during Kinson’s night shift. He noticed the store door open but saw no customer. To his astonishment, a bear was inside, eating snacks at 1:30 am.
“At first, I was shocked. I see the door open, and I don’t see a torso, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh… It’s a bear,’” Kinson, a Wisconsin native, recounted.
Videos capturing the bear’s visits show the animal casually entering the store and selecting candy bars, one at a time, almost as if it had manners.
Kinson noted, “The videos don’t do it justice. The bear was about 20% to 30% bigger in real life.”
Despite multiple attempts to deter the bear, including using a bin liner and a mop to block the entrance, the bear returned.
Kinson ensured his safety by keeping a distance and staying near the back door for a quick escape. “I was scared initially, but they just want to eat. You always have to be careful, though. We don’t know exactly how they are thinking,” he said.
The bear’s visits became more frequent, with the animal sometimes taking only one or two chocolates. “It’s funny. It’s like it was purposely polite to take one candy bar at a time. It’s almost like it had manners,” Kinson observed.
The bear would leave the store briefly, sometimes returning within 30 minutes. During one of these intervals, Kinson managed to block the entrance with a broom handle and a bin liner, but the bear’s determination proved too much for these makeshift barriers.
Kinson emphasized the importance of not becoming a food source for wild animals, underscoring the need to handle such situations carefully. “You don’t want to become their food source,” he warned.
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