Couple finds bear cub honking horn inside their SUV

ROANOKE CO., Va. (CBS) It was a bear of a day for authorities in Roanoke County, Va. — literally.

CBS affiliate WDBJ-TV reports Ryan and Mary Beth McClanahan heard a honk on their car horn Thursday morning. When they went outside to see what caused the commotion, the couple found a bear sitting inside their SUV.

“If you did get too close, he would scratch the window,” Mary Beth said. “So that’s when I’m jumping back, and running back in the house.”

Officers say the bear caused a fair amount of damage to the inside of the vehicle. The window was not broken, but authorities think the bear may have pulled on the car handle.

“You could see there was mist,” Roanoke County Police Officer Chris Thayer told WDBJ-TV. “It was misty, so you could see where he tried to reach for the handle. He opened the handle. Once he got into the car, he locked himself because he couldn’t get himself out.”

Once the couple was able to locate their car keys, Thayer was able to open one of the rear car doors and the bear ran off into the woods.

Authorities believe the cub was likely looking for snacks in the vehicle.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation also had a close encounter with a 3-year-old bear that required the involvement of police.

Authorities say the adult bear, which weighed about 200 pounds, was found wandering in the rail yard behind the museum. A wildlife biologist shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart about three hours after it was spotted.

The bear will be relocated about 100 miles away from the museum.