Three cubs didn’t quite learn the entire lesson from mamma bear about breaking into cars for food. The part they missed? When the police arrive — run!

The mother bear and her three cubs, credited recently with no less than 14 car break-ins in Snowmass Village, Colo., were in the process of another when police came upon the scene and scared the animals off.

Or at least they thought they had scared all the animals off.

When police officer David Heivly checked the vehicle, he discovered two sets of little, innocent bear eyes looking back at him. So he snapped a photo of them (at right; another cub is out of sight), as reported by 9News.com in Denver.

The bears have been a source of pain for the community for more than a month. The Aspen Daily News recently reported that police and a wildlife official issued warnings to be “bear alert.”

Bear Alert signs have been posted, instructing residents to be diligent about keeping windows and doors of vehicles and homes locked, and keeping vehicles free of food.

Wildlife officials are hoping to eventually relocate the bears far away from the cars and community.

The “crime spree” began last month when the mother bear got inside of a vehicle and found food. Learned behavior prompted the bear to break into other vehicles, believing them to be food sources.

Among the damage: A jeep, a door handle on another car and the window of another.

Kevin Wright, a wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told the Aspen Daily News that the bear has mostly gained entry by unlocked car doors; presumably the bear has a knack for opening car doors.

For those not wanting to bother being “bear alert,” the Village Shuttle in Snowmass Village offered an interesting alternative on its Facebook page earlier this week:

Bears are breaking into cars in Snowmass Village!
Please lock your cars and try to clean all traces of food out of them. On second thought, sell your car and ride the Village Shuttle. Beats having to clean it.
Seriously! Lock your cars. These cute little guys lives depend on you to act responsibly in bear country.

Photos courtesy of the Snowmass Village Police Department; top one via DenverPost.com., second one via 9News.com.

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