- A police officer spotted a black bear peeping into shop windows in California
- He rolled down his window and warned the bear not to break into any stores
- The animal then bolted across the street into a nearby park
- Black bears are preparing for hibernation and are upping their calorie intake
A very large bear was spotted peering into shop windows in a California tourist community on Lake Tahoe.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office posted video on its Facebook page of the four-pawed prowler early Wednesday.
In it, Deputy Don Nevins shines his car’s spotlight on the animal and shouts, ‘Hey, big boy!’ before warning the bear against breaking into any of the shops it’s sniffing around.
An officer in Placer County, California, spotted a bear looking to shop windows
Shortly after, the bear darts in front of his patrol car and off into a park.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Dena Erwin says deputies respond to bear calls every day because they break into cars, homes and businesses.
She said right now the animals are preparing for hibernation, so they’re upping their calorie intake.
Black bears are the most common breed of bear in the world. It is estimated there are about 600,000 in North America.
Adult black bears are capable of killing humans, but typically try and avoid confrontation with people when possible.
The deputy officer warned the bear not to break into any stores before the animal ran off