YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — For seven years, the top choice of vehicle by black bears in Yosemite National Park has been the minivan. The bears seem to base this decision on “fuel efficiency”—that is, which vehicle offers the best opportunity of finding a meal. As a result, black bears have shown a strong preference for breaking into minivans over other types of vehicles.

An article in the October 2009 issue of the “Journal of Mammalogy” examines the number of vehicles, by make and model, that black bears broke into from 2001 to 2007 in the California park. In all years, minivans had the largest or second largest number of break-ins by bears. When the number of break-ins was compared to the numbers of each type of vehicle visiting the park in 2004 – 2005, only minivans were broken into at a rate higher than expected based on their availability. The study explores possible reasons why the bears actively preferred minivans.

As people and wildlife must increasingly coexist, animal populations will make use of livestock, trash, and pet food. Black bears have been known to raid trash cans, break into houses and cars, and steal food from campers. In nature, black bears are selective in their foraging behavior.