Coke-can bear: Sweet-toothed bruin breaks into car, guzzles 69 sodas

A woman on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast awoke to a sticky situation last Thursday when she found a bear with a sweet tooth had broken into her car and crushed dozens of cans of soda she had left there overnight. 

Sharon Rosel said she was awakened by her dog around 3 a.m. PT Thursday and looked outside to see a black bear surrounded by shattered glass from her car window.

“He was drinking massive amounts of soda,” said Rosel. 

Rosel said she watched from her balcony in Earls Cove, B.C., for an hour and a half as the bear used its teeth to break open the cans and slurp their contents while making a sweet mess of her car’s interior. 

She said the bear started with orange soda before making its way through cola and root beer and only stopped when it reached the diet soda. 

WATCH | Bear breaks into car and drinks sodas:

Rosel said she had 72 cans of soda in total in the car, and the bear drank 69. 

She said she tried throwing cold water on the bear from her balcony but to no avail. She then tried reasoning with him, explaining she needed her car to get to work the next morning. 

“Then I tried psyching him out by telling him I was a bear hunter. That didn’t do anything either, so I had to stand by and just watch him devour my car,” said Rosel. 

Rosel took photos of the bear break-in and its aftermath the next morning. 

She says the bear ripped the car’s leather interior, broke the window roller handle from standing on it, and spilled soda everywhere, including inside the gear shifter.

“Of course, white leather interior goes really good with orange Crush,” Rosel said sarcastically, noting that the bear also knocked over a pack of paper towels but didn’t consider using them to clean up the mess.

She’s hoping her insurance will cover some of the damage. 

Bear aware

Rosel, who owns a food truck, says she had purchased the soda for her business the previous evening. 

Because she lives in a remote area, she says she deals with bears on a daily basis and is normally hyper-vigilant and careful to not leave food in her vehicle. 

But she never expected the bear would be attracted to soda. 

“I’ve been around bears since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I have never seen them go after pop,” said Rosel. 

The non-profit Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance notes bears are highly skilled at gaining entry to cars and can cause significant damage. 

“[Bears] can be attracted to the slightest aroma in your car, such as a candy wrapper or scented air freshener. Please keep your vehicle windows closed and locked and doors locked to avoid damage and a surprise encounter,” its website says. 

CBC News contacted RCMP for more information, but they directed us to B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service, which was unable to provide details in time for publication.