Smart bear!

[gekkogecko]

A news item URL:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&ncid=757&e=10&u=/ap/20040818/ap_on_fe_st/beer_bear

The text:
Bear Drinks 36 Cans of Favorite Beer

1 hour, 11 minutes ago Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!

BAKER LAKE, Wash. - Rain-eeeeer .... Bear? When state Fish and Wildlife agents recently found a black bear passed out on the lawn of Baker Lake Resort, there were some clues scattered nearby — dozens of empty cans of Rainier Beer.

The bear apparently got into campers' coolers and used his claws and teeth to puncture the cans. And not just any cans.

"He drank the Rainier and wouldn't drink the Busch beer," said Lisa Broxson, bookkeeper at the campground and cabins resort east of Mount Baker.

Fish and Wildlife enforcement Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear did try one can of Busch, but ignored the rest.

"He didn't like that (Busch) and consumed, as near as we can tell, about 36 cans of Rainier."

A wildlife agent tried to chase the bear from the campground but the animal just climbed a tree to sleep it off for another four hours. Agents finally herded the bear away, but it returned the next morning.

Agents then used a large, humane trap to capture it for relocation, baiting the trap with the usual: doughnuts, honey and, in this case, two open cans of Rainier. That did the trick.

"This is a new one on me," Heinck said. "I've known them to get into cans, but nothing like this. And it definitely had a preference."

[thereIam]

Strange. And I thought most bears would want to head for the mountains... :p

[Lilith]

Too funny...I'll remember to only take mudslides when I go camping :p

[Steph]

Ahahaha, thereIam!

When a beer invades your campsite, you give him only the best!

[Nice Guy]

I know that "Bear" it is actually a friend of mine who is just really furry.

[Irish]

I think that,when I was drinking,that bear lived next door to me.Either that or
my nextdoor neighbor,was an alcoholic too.There were always beer cans,along
the property line,that weren't my brand! Irish

[Sharni]

*LOL*.....that'll teach him for drinking to excess

[BigBear57]

Relatives! :rolleyes:

[PantyFanatic]

OMFG!!! Falling off my chair at every post in this thread. :D :D

[Booger]

dang even a bear can tell bush is piss water beer

[RandyGal]

One can only HOPE the people at Rainier beer hear about this and make a commercial about it or sumtin!

[gekkogecko]

Interesting follow-up: this story made the local late-night TV news.

[LixyChick]

To hell with your Busch...show me your mountains!

Oh wait...that's not how the commercial goes.

OK...so the bear has a future in advertising. Stranger things have happened!

*puts on the thinking cap to think of something stranger...(leaving the door wide open for a Steph and/or PantyFanatic remark)*

[jennaflower]

BigBear57...

NEXT time you have such a notion... come on over... I'll buy the beer (just remember... I WILL take advantage) ;)

[Steph]

Bon-vivant bear evicted after beer binge
Last Updated Thu, 19 Aug 2004 13:06:04
SEATTLE, WASH. - Authorities relocated a young, black bear away from a campground in Washington state after he reportedly downed dozens of beers and passed out.

Campers at the Baker Lake site north of Seattle had apparently omitted one crucial step in making their temporary abode safe – they forgot to secure the cooler holding their stash of beer.

Camp workers found the two-year-old bear lying on the ground surrounded by about 36 empty beer cans.

It appears the animal had broken open the cooler and punctured the cans using his claws and teeth before pouring the beer down his throat.

The bear fled after he came to, but when he returned the following day, wildlife officials managed to capture him using doughnuts and more beer as bait.

Authorities relocated the bear away from the campground and further alcoholic temptation.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/08/19/drunkbear040819