By Tim Gardner
Avery County Sheriff Mike Henley said two of his deputies—Thomas Guinn and Scott Bray– had a unique encounter on October 21 when they responded to an emergency call and found a mama black bear weighing an estimated 250 pounds or more and two of her cubs in a minivan at a home at the Eagles Nest gated community near Banner Elk.
Henley said the deputies believe the mama bear managed to get the door of the minivan open and then she and her cubs climbed inside and closed the door behind them. He added that it is not known why the bears wanted inside the minivan, unless they, perhaps, smelled food and went inside to get it.
Bears are known for having a tremendous ability to smell, even up to several miles away.Researchers estimate that a black bear’s sense of smell is seven times better than that of a bloodhound dog and potentially hundreds of times greater than a human’s.
Because of the bears’ entry, there was so much damage to the minivan’s sliding door that it wouldn’t open. So, the deputies got rope that could be used to help get the bear and her cubs out. They tied the rope to the front door handle, pulling it open, allowing the mama bear to exit the vehicle first.
Henley said that Guinn and Bray were not aware that there were also cubs inside the minivan until after the mama bear got out of it and had run just a short distance away, but suddenly stopped and raised up on her hind legs and kept looking at the vehicle.
Black bears are considered to be potentially among the world’s most dangerous animals if angered and especially if any humans get near their cubs. But Henley said that neither the mama bear, nor the cubs, made any expressions that they might attempt to attack the deputies.
He added that the deputies were able to coax the cubs out of the van in about ten minutes and they ran to their mother and another cub that had climbed down from a tree where it had been while its mother and the other cubs were inside the minivan. The bears then ran off together into the woods.
It was revealed that the minivan, which Henley said had approximately $20,000 in damage from the bears entry and remaining in it, was a rental. But the renters had insurance that should pay for the minivan’s needed repairs, Henley noted.
The sheriff added that it’s important to remember to always lock the doors to each of your vehicles when the motor if not running if you live in, or when visiting, the North Carolina High Country, as well as not leave food inside your vehicles that might attract unwanted wildlife guests like bears.
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