Readers of a certain age will remember the exploits of Yogi and Boo-Boo, two lovable bears best known for nabbing pick-a-nick baskets from visitors to Jellystone Park. Yogi and Boo-boo were always trying different approaches to getting their goal. A recent article published in the Journal of Mammalogy indicates black bears in Yosemite National Park might have learned a thing or two from them. Seems they have learned which vehicle is most likely to hit pay dirt when foraging for an evening snack. While bears have long been known to show selective foraging tendencies in the woods (i.e.,  they try to find the easiest way to get the best payoff in food), the study wanted to find out if they are capable of doing the same thing with non-natural sources of food (supplied by us). The article, 'Selective Foraging for Anthropogenic Resources by Black Bears: Minivans in Yosemite National Park', sought to determine if bears were purposefully selective in the types of vehicles they break into looking for food. Turns out, bears are smart. Real smart.

Between 2001 and 2007 there were a total of 1,111 vehicles broken into by bears. The park actually had data on the make and model of 908 of these vehicles. Actually, there were more. Of the 908,  26% were minivans. However, without some context, this doesn't mean much, there are an awful lot of minivans on the road after all.

So, during 2004 and 2005, the researchers sampled the types of vehicles in the parking lots in Yosemite Valley at night (the time the vehicles are usually broken into by the bears). Surprisingly, only 7% of vehicles left overnight were minivans. In this same time span, 29% of the smash and grabs occurred against mini-vans. In other words, this is 4 times higher than would be expected if the bears were randomly checking out vehicles for some grub.

Due to having park rangers patrolling the lots at night, and administering fairly adverse stimulus to any bears found breaking and entering, the study suggests the bears learned to maximize the energy cost-risk-rewards continuum by targeting the vehicle most likely to provide a payoff. Specifically, they theorize that mini-vans are most often used to tote kids around. As a parent of two, I'm witness to the researchers next logical conclusion: kids are notorious for spilling/leaving copious amounts of food on the floor, in the seats, smeared on the roof, in the glove box, wiped on the window, etc. This would result in a higher odor content drawing their attention, and after a few successes, they would remember the reward usually found with this type of vehicle.

Even more interesting: they believe the break-ins may be related to a small group of bears who learned this association between the mini-vans and food payoff. They say it could be a group of 5, or perhaps even just 2. What are the odds one of them was heard saying, "Hey Boo Boo! Let's get us some pick-a-nick baskets!"