Bear searching for food damages, gets trapped in Colorado resident's car

Bears in Colorado are waking up, and they are hungry. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding Coloradans to make sure their cars are locked after one resident's car was damaged when a bear became stuck inside.

CPW said the bear smelled food inside an unlocked car in Evergreen. The bear then tore up the side panels, airbags and dashboard in an effort to escape.

A wildlife officer responded and was able to let the bear out.

CPW said every year the majority of incident reports involve bears trying to access human food. Officials said bears have a keen sense of smell and shared some items that may attract bears, including lip gloss or sunscreen and food scraps that may have been dropped inside a car. CPW advised vehicle owners to remove anything with a scent and be sure to lock the doors and roll up windows.

They warned that bears often get trapped inside vehicles after the door closes behind them. It can lead to significant vehicle damage and even heat death if the bear is trapped inside for long enough.