Yosemite bears name minivan “Car of the Year”
In a new study published this month, scientists document how black bears in Yosemite National Park preferred to break into minivans over other types of vehicles.
Scientists theorize that minivans may emit more food odors since the vehicles are designed for families with children, many of whom are likely to spill food or drink. They also suggested that minivans may be structurally more easy to break into (bears apparently like to pop ope rear side windows. ) Or perhaps a few bears are responsible for the break-ins and are displaying a learned behavior for choosing minivans.
Here’s my own theory: Perhaps the bears really just crave soccer moms - as an afternoon snack.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Mammalogy, indicates that sedans are the least likely to bear-jacked.
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Kim McGuire joined the Post-Dispatch in August 2007. She has covered the environment for almost 10 years while working at The Denver Post and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In 2004, McGuire was named a Ted Scripps fellow in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 
Perhaps the NPS will respond by banning mini-vans and soccer moms. But then what would all the viewers of Ken Burns’ National Parks series do on their next vacation?
Minivans equals kids and that equals food strewn about all over the place. Plus minivan riders probably give more handouts too.