Bears are always on the lookout for food, and humans horde big delicious stashes of it. A Californian grocery store’s security camera recently captured footage of a brazen bear stealing candy straight from the shelf in broad daylight.

The video shows the bear using its paw to rake some candies off a shelf directly in front of the cashier’s counter. It shovelled a couple of sweet treats into its mouth and headed for the door (which, hilariously, chimed as the bear pushed it open to make its exit, as if it was just another happy customer).

Bears are omnivores, which means they'll gladly gobble up a diverse mixture of plants, berries, roots and meat (and candy apparently). Interestingly, the bear in this video ignores the wholesome-looking bananas on the counter and instead heads straight for the artificial sweets. Perhaps there is something to be said about the bear’s choice in sugary snack (Pooh bear sure loves his honey). According to Live Science, research indicates that although many animals have non-functional sweet-taste receptors, bears still retain theirs and enjoy a selection of confection on occasion.

Bears are known to regularly raid urban spaces in search of food, and a sweet tooth makes it even more likely that candy-loving bears will come into contact with humans. As we have learnt from Yogi Bear and his pic-a-nic-stealing antics, we should avoid leaving food out in areas where bears are common visitors. This shop owner, however, couldn’t have done much more to prevent this thieving paw-petrator from entering the store. 

Image © Frank Vassen