A police officer in Kings Beach, California spotted a late night shopper on patrol this week. Only this evening-time browser wasn't looking for deals on winter coats - more like a midnight snack!
Deputy Don Nevins was out on patrol Wednesday night when he came across a very large bear-about-town looking into storefronts and sniffing around the streets of the Lake Tahoe community.
It's likely that the bear was searching for food to help fatten itself up for hibernation. The local police department reported that they respond to many bear sightings such as this nearly every day this time of year, and they don't expect it to slow down yet.
In the video, the sizable black bear begins to approach the cop car the deputy was sitting in. Nevins shines his flashlight at its face and yells "Hey big boy!", which together scares the timid creature off into the night.
While most black bears are typically between 5-6 foot tall from head to paw, this one was clearly a giant! Luckily for Deputy Nevins the bear was more interested in getting back to the forest than checking his car for honey!
Bears aren't the only animals known for exploring urban areas. Here's a few more videos of animals investigating what human society is like!
As our cities and towns grow larger we're bound to come into contact with some fuzzy characters from time to time. In some cases, seeing a wild animal up close and personal can be exciting, especially if they're cute and cuddly. Other times...it's better to keep your distance!