Cleanup on aisle 1

A grocery store is a common place to go to find food, but usually the shoppers are all human. Among the customers at the Safeway in Kings Beach, Calif., on Aug. 27 was a bear. Video footage taken by a shopper shows the California brown bear looking over produce and grabbing a white plastic container with its mouth. Adult California brown bears weigh up to 350 pounds. Shopper Rubi Nevarez told the Reuters news service the bear left the store peacefully: “The bear went out by itself after seeing all the commotion he caused.” A little over a week earlier, on Aug. 18, a bear reportedly entered the same grocery store and left with a bag of tortilla chips. Neither incident caused any injuries. A National Park Service statement says bears that become comfortable in human surroundings can become dangerous: “Sadly, bears that obtain human food may lose their natural fear of humans. Over time, they may become bold or aggressive in their attempts to obtain human food and become a threat to public safety.”

Share this article with friends.