Cheese puffs can be pretty irresistible—crunchy, bright orange, and easily snackable. Apparently, humans aren’t the only ones with this opinion.
In Glenwood Springs, Colo., late last month, a young bear took its enthusiasm for cheese puffs a bit too far, stuffing its whole head into an empty cheese puff bucket. It quickly learned that getting in is far easier than getting out—the bucket wouldn’t budge.
Residents contacted wildlife officials after seeing the bear ambling around with its bucket hat, but the animal was too quick and ran off before anybody could give him a hand.
Jim Hawkins, a retired firefighter, had the solution. Since the biggest obstacle to helping the bear was its unwillingness to stay put while help was on the way, Hawkins left a pair of gloves and a rope outside for the next time the bear passed through. When it roamed into the yard of Hawkins’ bed and breakfast, he took his rope and lassoed the bear—yes, really—to keep it at bay while wildlife officials made their way to the scene.
“It was kind of like rodeo for a while,” Hawkins told The Washington Post. The bear wasn’t thrilled about this scuffle, and it charged at Hawkins, giving him some gnarly gashes on his forearm. The cheese puff bucket, though, acted as a sort of muzzle, so Hawkins was spared more serious injury.
When officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife arrived on the scene, they made quick work of tranquilizing the bear, removing its cheesy helmet, and moving it to a nearby area with fewer humans to contend with. All’s well that ends well, but perhaps cheese puff crumbs might be better left at the bottom of the bucket.
Feature Photo Credit: Erin Caldwell | YouTube
Caroline Fenn
While Caroline Fenn’s primary pursuit is an M.A. in publishing from Emerson College, she thinks almost as frequently about whether burrata or Brie would be her desert island cheese. She comes to Boston via Connecticut and Rhode Island and also loves writing, coffee shops, and Fountains of Wayne.
