Party Bears Know How to Party

Bears are known for stealing food from campsites, but lately they’ve stepped up their game and become true party animals by gorging on chocolate and beer. Who knew bears knew how to throw a party?

Maybe they felt upstaged by the goat that partied in a strip club two years ago. Whatever the reason, there have been two recent incidents involving bears breaking, entering, and eating in ways that would make many humans jealous.

When Jo Adams, owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, arrived at the Estes, Colorado, store in early August, she found signs that there had been an intruder. She initially blamed the wrapper on the floor and the dirt on her counter on a ground squirrel (animal break-ins must be common), but the surveillance footage showed that the culprit was a baby black bear. The store’s door had a faulty lock, so the bear was able to enter through it, grab some snacks off of the display racks, and took them outside to eat them on the sidewalk.

He returned and repeated the snacking process a few times over a span of 20 minutes. His menu sounds absolutely divine: the bear snacked on chocolate-covered Rice Krispies treats, peanut butter cups, English Toffee, something called Balls of Joy, and Cookie Bears. While the bear didn’t pay for the treats, he helped the business. The media attention has been great publicity for the store; customers have come in to buy exactly what the bear ate. I guess I’m not the only one who thinks the bear has excellent taste.

Eating sweets sounds very tame compared to the next set of wild bears. A family of bears, believed to be one adult and three babies, broke into a cabin in Norway and had a night of indulgence. The furry creatures ate marshmallows, chocolate spread, and honey, proving that they have a sweet tooth. To quench their thirst, the four bears consumed over 100 cans of beer. Yes, there were over 100 cans of beer in the cabin. Much like drunk humans, the bears left a lot of destruction. Borthen Nilsen, who owns the cabin, said that the place was destroyed. "The beds and all kitchen appliances, stove, oven and cupboards and shelves were all smashed to pieces," said Nilsen.

In addition to the smashed furniture, the bears left a stench of “piss… trash, and beer,” and some “excrement” on the outside of the cabin. Not only did they destroy the inside of the cabin, they pooped on the outside. What jerks. “They had a hell of a party in there,” said Nilsen. Three of those bears were underage; guess Mama Bear wanted to be “The Cool Mom.”

The lesson from these stories is that bears know how to party. It also teaches that we should all hope to be invited to a party at a Norwegian cabin, because it sounds like they stock plenty of sweet treats and alcohol. Just make sure you get to the shindig before the bears.