Bear takes Prius for a test drive
Who wouldn't enjoy a scenic, moonlit drive around Lake Tahoe?
A US family holidaying at the popular tourist destination has found out the hard way.
Brian McCarthy and his family were fast asleep when a bear made its way into the 2002 Toyota Prius parked out the front of their cabin.
From inside the cabin, the family watched on as the inquisitive creature tore the car's interior to shreds.
"Our son was the first one who woke up, and he was watching the bear through the window," Mr McCarthy told The Oakland Tribune.
"We were looking out of our bedroom window and from our view, you could look down and see the bear in the car, and its arms were just flailing all over the place, through the windows and everything."
The bear, trapped inside the car, became enraged and began looking for a way out – tearing open the Prius' seats, taking a chunk out of the steering wheel and destroying the car's gear box in the process.
The Prius, now in neutral, began a slow, ambling journey down the cabin's slightly inclined driveway.
Picking up speed, the car made its way across the street, hopped over a small rock wall and came to a rest on the neighbour's front porch.
Not bothering to stop and exchange insurance information, the bear finally escaped the car and lumbered off into the woods.
Mr McCarthy says he can't understand why the bear chose their vehicle for a late night joyride.
"The car was completely closed. There wasn't any food in there," he said. "The only things in there were a beach towel, some CDs and a few phone chargers."
