Bear Escapes House With a Dramatic Exit That Would Make the Kool-Aid Man Proud

Homeowners in bear country know not to leave their trash outside. But if you keep trash inside, you still have to remember to close the door. That’s a lesson that Estes Park, Colorado resident John Sliwinski learned the hard way over the weekend, after a black bear came barreling into his house, lured by the scent of freshly tossed deviled eggs. Sliwinski had popped upstairs before closing the door securely, he told local news, giving the animal the chance to investigate that tasty egg appetizer situation. Once inside the home, the door closed behind him and he became stuck, necessitating a call to local law enforcement for assistance.

The Estes Park Police Department shared the situation on social media — with a subtle joke.

“Last night a bear entered a residence near the area of Fall River Road. The bear seemed to have been attracted to the scent of refuse. Upon officer’s arrival, said bear forcibly breached a hole in the wall like the ‘Kool-Aid Man’ and made it’s escape,” the Facebook post noted. (The Kool-Aid Man is an anthropomorphic pitcher-shaped cartoon character known for literally bursting through walls and shouting, “Oh yeah!” while wielding his signature cherry-flavored beverage.) Similarly, this bear made his exit straight through the house’s wall, leaving a bear-shaped hole in his wake.

Sliwinski’s takeaway? “So, yeah, don’t put deviled eggs in your trash cans,” he told the local station KUSA TV. That, and keep your doors closed and trash secure to maintain a safe distance from curious, hungry bears. As the police added in their update: “Please do your part to keep bears wild. Bears are extremely smart, which means we all have to be too.”