Choosy Bears Choose Minivans - October 14, 2009
Apparently black bears, soccer moms and Chief Justice John Roberts have something in common: a preference for minivans.
As with most pudgy animals, black bears are committed to energy efficiency, eating only the fattiest portions of their prey (the skins, eggs and brains) and even selecting the plumpest ants. A new analysis published in the Journal of Mammalogy reveals that this dedication even translates to their anthroprogenic food sources.
A group from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Service took a close look at the bear-jack records at Yosemite National Park. They found that between 2004 and 2005, bears chose to break into minivans 29% of the time, even though the only made up 7% of the cars. And while 28% of the cars in the parking lot were sedans, bears were only tempted by them 14% of the time.
Every year between 2001 and 2007, minivas were either the most or second most popular cars, according to the black bears.
The authors suggest a few reasons why Yosemite bears are so hot for minivans. First, minivans tend to be driven by people with children, who tend to be, shall we say, aromatic. "Vehicles transporting children would emit greater food odors," the authors write, as small children "are notorious for spilling food and drink".
They also propose that vans, with their pop-out windows, may be easier to break into. It's also possible that all the minivan break-ins were committed by a few "known individuals" that "were alive and in the area" during the period of the data collection. They note that "genetic analyses of hair left in cars would...allow a better test of this hypothesis".
More Coverage:
Van vs. Wild — Nature contributor Roberta Kwok in Conservation
Black bears rate minivans as top dining vehicle — LA Times
It's Official: Picky Yosemite National Park Bears Prefer Their Meals in Minivans — National Parks Traveler
Image: National Park Service
