We, humans, like to think of ourselves as the dominant species of the food chain, but sometimes a wildlife encounter gives us a stark reality check. This was the case when a woman opened the door of her Lexus RX and found an unwelcome surprise: a black bear. 

Viral Twitter video of a bear in a Lexus RX

The latest bear encounter was with a Lexus RX luxury crossover SUV. Perhaps the bear has impeccable tastes and enjoys the finer things in life. Or it possibly likes the roomy cabin of the Lexus RX, with the ability to stretch out its limbs in glorious comfort. 

As reported by CarBuzz, the video of the bear in a Lexus went viral on Twitter, with it racking up nearly five million views to date. It starts with a woman nonchalantly walking down the stairs of a house, carrying a box of apples to the Lexus RX that’s parked in the driveway below. The door of the Lexus is already open. The woman then reaches for the door handle and looks inside the car. 

Seeing the bear, she unsuccessfully tries to close the door, but the bear would have none of that. Afterward, the woman gives a long earth-shattering scream, makes a beeline away from the Lexus and the bear, and tears back up the stairs. In doing so, she dropped the box of apples on the ground, and the apples went flying all over the place. 

Initially, the bear seemed just as surprised and scared as the woman, for it ran away from the Lexus too. However, it then stopped in its tracks. The bear’s taste buds took over, and it helped itself to a sumptuous snack of apples. With it chilling out in a Lexus and enjoying free apples, that bear really knows how to live the good life.

Is it easy for a bear to get inside of a car?

It’s not clear if the bear in the video opened the door of the Lexus or if the door was already opened. Regardless, bears are crafty and can open a car door on their own. Bears can also break through car windows. Also, large bears, such as grizzly bears, are strong enough to tear a door off of a car. 

How to prevent a bear from going inside of a car

It would be terrifying to find a bear in your car. However, there are some precautions that you can take to prevent this from happening the next time you go camping.

Bears have a strong sense of smell, so if you have food out in the open, they’ll be able to smell it and will likely be attracted to it. If you have food in your car, be sure to store it in containers with tight lids. Another option is to use what’s called a “bear bag.” For a bear bag, you store your food in a large bag and then swing it up and over a tree limb with a 100-foot rope. Also, some National Parks have food lockers in which you can temporarily store your food.

Bear and other wildlife encounters like the one with the Lexus are a more frequent occurrence these days. A big reason for this is habitat loss. As humans expand their reach and destroy habitats, animals travel outside of their natural ecosystems in search of food, water, and shelter. Humans can do their part to minimize this habitat loss while taking the necessary precautions to avoid violent animal encounters.