For many folks, the phrase “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” signals the classic introduction of the lion in The Wizard of Oz. For a few Tennessee vacationers, shouting the word “bears” aloud now has a vastly different connotation.
On Friday morning, Michelle Eberhardt reported a bear burglary in the mountain rental home she was sharing with her husband and a few friends in Gatlinburg, Tenn., local news station WBIR-TV reports.
As the vacationers relaxed in the mountain abode, a young black bear broke through a dead-bolted door looking for snacks. Meanwhile, three additional bears waited outside to see what their companion could snatch.
According to Eberhardt, the intruder made away with quite the haul, including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Sour Patch Kids, and potato chips. To wash all that down, the black bear swiped a couple of Diet Cokes and even two beers.
While no one was hurt during the break-in, it certainly caused concern. Black bears typically don’t seek out human food without prior exposure, so the bears had likely had a previous taste of human grub.
This isn’t the first time a bear has snagged a sip of alcohol, though. So perhaps the break-in was inspired by this Margarita-loving California brown bear?
