Study: Bears Know Minivans Are Their Meal Ticket
Minivans may not get a second look on city streets but it's a different story in Yosemite Park, where black bears keep an eye out for them. Park scientists say one thing that likely attracts the bears: the scent of sodas, chips and other snacks which have been spilled and left behind by kids. Minivans makeup only about 7 percent of the vehicles in Yosemite. But they're the picnic place of choice in more than a quarter of all bear break-ins.
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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.
Minivans may not get a second look on city streets but it's a different story in Yosemite Park, where black bears keep an eye out for them. Park scientists say one thing that likely attracts the bears: the scent of sodas, chips, Cheerios and other snacks spilled and left behind by kids in minivans. Minivans make up only about seven percent of the vehicles in Yosemite. But they're the picnic place of choice in more than a quarter of all bear break-ins.
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