Viral video: Mother bear steals chips from car with her cubs as partners in crime, watch

A mother bear in Bartlett, New Hampshire, was caught on camera pulling off a rather unusual heist. The video, now going viral on social media, shows the bear sneaking into a car through a taped window and emerging triumphantly with a bag of chips. Her cubs waited nearby, playing the role of her accomplices.

The footage was first shared by WMUR-TV, an ABC affiliate, and has quickly gained attention for its charming yet wild display of nature’s unpredictability.

After retrieving the bag of chips from the car, the bear casually returned to her cubs, leaving behind only the inconvenience of a missing snack for the car’s owner. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department commented on the situation, explaining that bears are “opportunistic and will search for human food supplies when natural foods are not available."

While this particular bear incident ended without much harm, aside from the stolen chips, experts warn that bear encounters can sometimes escalate.

In a separate, more alarming case, an old video resurfaced of a circus bear attacking its handler during a performance in Olonets, Russia, in 2019. The bear, forced to perform a trick involving a wheelbarrow, lashed out after the handler yanked its snout. The wild animal was eventually subdued by another circus worker, but the audience fled in panic.

Though these incidents differ in scale, both highlight the unpredictable nature of wild animals when pushed into human environments.