Bears make repeated visits to California convenience store

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Security cameras at a California convenience store captured video of repeated visits from a group of unusual shoplifters -- bears.

Footage recorded Sunday by the security cameras at the Chevron gas station convenience store in Kings Beach shows a bear lying on the floor eating merchandise, including candy and crackers.

Employee Paul Heigh said local bears have repeatedly visited the store in recent weeks. A video recorded Saturday shows a bear lunging at Heigh as he attempted to block its path into the store.

"It was kinda scary, yeah, I'm not going to lie," Heigh told CBS Sacramento. "It's not in the job description no, not at all. Fighting off bears was not in the job description."

A video dated Aug. 12 shows a bear wandering into the store and being swatted on the backside by a customer.

Wildlife officials said a bear that was seen inside a Safeway grocery store in Kings Beach recently is one of the same bears that has been visiting the Chevron store.

Ann Bryant with the BEAR League said she has been in contact with both stores to advise them on how to keep the bears out. She said the stores should disable their automatic doors and use the smell of Pine-Sol cleaner to ward off the animals.

"The bear should not be going into buildings where someone could shoot him or kill him or the Department of Wildlife could kill him," Bryant said.