You can see for yourself in our video how a bear steals a dumpster by pushing it out of the car park of the Edelweiss restaurant in Colorado Springs.
This bear has obviously acquired a taste for German food, since this is not the first time he has been caught on security cameras stealing food. Last Wednesday he went to the rear entrance of the restaurant, grabbed hold of the bin, pulled it about 15 meters, tipped it over, and helped himself to the the previous night’s leftovers.
Dieter Schnakenberg, the restaurant manager, said,”There’s some fresh, really good food attracting the bear.”
What the bear really seems to like is the Edelweiss signature dish of rouladen. This is made from steak pounded and rolled, stuffed with bacon, mustard, onions and pickle, covered in a dark gravy and accompanied by red cabbage and fried potatoes.
Schnakenberg commented, “She passes up the recycling bin and goes right for the good stuff.” The bear enjoyed the meal so much that it showed up again early on Thursday. This time it wasn’t possible for the bear to steal the dumpster.
The bear is estimated to be to be over two-meters tall when it stands on its hind legs. The workers have now been warned to be careful as they go to and from the bins.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says incidents between black bears and people are increasing. They are telling residents not to keep rubbish out overnight unless it is in a bear-proof container. Spokesman Randy Hampton said: “The best-case scenario is they secure the dumpster and the bear doesn’t come back.”
The restaurant’s management is considering using chains to anchor the bins to a nearby fence. Using a locking lid could be another option to thwart the repeat offender. Hopefully that will solve the problem, and we will not have to report that another bear steals a dumpster ever again.
