Have you ever had a craving for something sweet and decided to treat yourself to a pack of gummy bears? Well, you’re not alone. A black bear in Canada had the same idea, except he didn’t bother to pay for his snack.
That’s right, a furry thief broke into a gas station near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and made a beeline for the candy aisle. He ignored all the other goodies on display and went straight for the gummy bears. Maybe he was feeling nostalgic for his childhood, or maybe he just liked the irony of eating his own kind.
The gas station, Tipton Gas Bar, is owned and operated by Jay and Karen deGoesbriand, who were both shocked and amused by the incident. Jay was behind the counter drinking coffee (we assume it was Tim Horton’s, because… Canada) when he saw the bear walk in. He didn’t panic, but calmly watched as the bear grabbed a pack of gummy bears and left.
Security footage shows the bear casually strolling through the store, as if he was a regular customer. He didn’t seem to care about the chocolates, the jerkies, or the other treats. He only had eyes for the gummy bears. And not just any gummy bears, mind you. He went for the Haribo brand, which are widely considered to be the best gummy bears in the world. This bear had good taste, but also a bit of an ego problem. It’s like if a human broke into a gas station and stole a pack of human-shaped cookies. Mmmm, human cookies…
“Mr. Bear then went out in the parking lot and ate [the gummy bears],” Jay said.
Karen, who wasn’t there at the time, had a surprisingly positive reaction to the news. “I thought it was so cool,” she said. “Obviously [the bear] has a sweet tooth.”
This is probably the most Canadian response ever. Instead of being angry or scared, they were just happy that the bear enjoyed his snack. They even gave him a nickname: Mr. Bear. How adorable is that?
This is not an isolated incident, however. There have been many reports of bear encounters across British Columbia lately. This is because it’s the season when bears are trying to eat as much as they can before they go into hibernation. They are looking for easy sources of calories, and sometimes that means raiding human habitats where they are disappointed to find that humans don’t eat very well.
But while we can laugh at Mr. Bear and his gummy bear heist, we should also remember that he is a wild animal that needs to be respected and protected. We should do our best to keep our food secure and avoid attracting bears to our homes and businesses.
And if you ever see a bear in a gas station, don’t try to stop him or take a selfie with him. Just let him have his gummy bears and hope he doesn’t come back for anything more substantial.
