A black bear that managed to open an unlocked car in Colorado Springs died after becoming trapped inside the vehicle for days.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the roughly 250-pound bear got into the vehicle in central Colorado Springs, apparently while searching for food. The door then closed behind it, leaving the bear unable to escape.
By the time someone discovered the bear, it had destroyed much of the vehicle’s interior trying to get out and had died in the summer heat.
CPW is using the incident as a reminder that locking your car in bear country isn’t only about protecting whatever is sitting in the cup holder.
Bears Can Open Car Doors
Bears have learned that vehicles can contain food and are capable of opening unlocked doors.
The problem comes when the door swings or latches shut behind them. Bears that can easily figure out the outside handle don’t necessarily understand how to operate the handle from inside the vehicle.
CPW recommends treating a vehicle much like a campsite. Food, trash, coolers, and scented products should come out, windows should stay closed, and doors should remain locked. The agency specifically warns that bears can learn to open unlocked vehicles.
The Colorado Springs bear wasn’t the first to find its way into a vehicle this summer. Police freed another bear from a vehicle in nearby Manitou Springs in July. That animal escaped unharmed.
Colorado Is Having a Big Bear Year
The incident comes during an unusually active year for bears in Colorado.
CPW received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, nearly twice the 3,115 reports recorded during the same period in 2025. The state recorded 5,299 reports during all of last year.
Wildlife officials have linked the increase partly to poor natural food conditions. Low snowpack, drought and late freezes have reduced some of the foods bears normally depend on, sending them farther in search of calories.
That search becomes even more intense as bears approach hyperphagia, the late-summer and fall period when they spend much of their time eating and putting on weight before winter.
For anyone living, camping, or traveling in bear country, CPW’s advice is pretty simple: take the snacks out and lock the doors.
