Seeley, a four-year-old grizzly bear, tries to find a weakness in a test cooler stuffed with food at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Randy Gravatt, facilities manager at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, pushes a test cooler filled with fish, peanut butter, and dog biscuits in a wheelbarrow into the grizzly habitat on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Coolers and trash bins that were tested by the grizzlies at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center are displayed for visitors to the facility in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
A cooler, cracked open by grizzly bears during testing at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, is displayed for visitors to the facility in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Visitors to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone watch Condi, a four-year-old grizzly bear, try to break into a cooler containing fish, peanut butter, and dog biscuits on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Seeley, left, and Condi, siblings at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, play-fight over a test cooler in their habitat on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Seeley, a four-year-old grizzly bear, uses her teeth to try to get into a cooler filled with food in her habitat at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Condi, a four-year-old grizzly bear at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, uses her nose to tip over a cooler filled with food in her habitat in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Seeley, a four-year-old grizzly bear, tries to find a weakness in a test cooler stuffed with food at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Grizzly bears use a wide variety of techniques to break into containers. Sometimes, they’ll finesse a claw into a lid to pry it open. Often, they’ll slam a container into a wall, or chew on the corners and weak points until it breaks.
Chelsea Davis’ favorite technique is the “CPR” method. A bear will place its front paws on a container, then press down with all its brawn. As soon as the material flexes, the bear will focus on that area, pushing harder and harder until the container cracks.
On Wednesday, a 19-year-old grizzly named Luna spent an hour hammering away at a cooler at Washington State University’s Bear Research Center. Staff safely pulled the item from the yard while Davis distracted Luna with a spoonful of frosting.
A cooler, cracked open by grizzly bears during testing at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, is displayed for visitors to the facility in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Randy Gravatt, facilities manager at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, pushes a test cooler filled with fish, peanut butter, and dog biscuits in a wheelbarrow into the grizzly habitat on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Visitors to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone watch Condi, a four-year-old grizzly bear, try to break into a cooler containing fish, peanut butter, and dog biscuits on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Coolers and trash bins that were tested by the grizzlies at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center are displayed for visitors to the facility in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Seeley, left, and Condi, siblings at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, play-fight over a test cooler in their habitat on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Seeley, a four-year-old grizzly bear, uses her teeth to try to get into a cooler filled with food in her habitat at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
Condi, a four-year-old grizzly bear at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, uses her nose to tip over a cooler filled with food in her habitat in West Yellowstone on Friday, May 9, 2023.
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