Hungry Bears Are Destroying Cars at Mammoth Mountain

According to Mammoth Mountain, these photos were taken over the past few weeks and include vehicles left overnight in its parking lots. The ski resort added that bears have a keen sense of smell—2,100 times stronger than a human's smell—and can sniff out “empty food wrappers, lip balm, and even the lingering scent in an empty cooler.”

Mammoth Mountain provided some tips that could prevent bears from thinking your car is a giant lunchbox.

For one, removing anything that might have a scent from your car is important. Then, if you’re parking overnight at the ski resort, look for—and use—the bearproof containers by the “B” area parking sign. Finally, take advantage of the numerous bearproof dumpsters peppered around Mammoth Mountain and the town of Mammoth Lakes.

To “prevent this from happening, we all have to do our part,” Mammoth Mountain wrote.

The Mammoth Lakes area isn’t home to grizzly bears (in California, grizzly bears went extinct in the 1920s). Instead, less aggressive black bears are the local residents. Still, Visit Mammoth—the tourism website for Mammoth Lakes—warned in a blog post that “they can be a threat to people if they are not kept wild.”

Having chairlifts in wild places is a special gift, but that gift comes with a responsibility. The mountains are shared with residents who have lived there for much longer than we have. Respecting them—and making sure they don’t accidentally scarf down half a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos—is vital.

For more bear safety tips, click here.