In the whimsical world of wildlife encounters, this one takes the cake: a bear with a penchant for gummy bears! Now, before you cry “cannibalism,” hold that thought, because this bear’s sweet tooth led to quite the unusual visit.

Jay deGoesbriand, the proud owner of Tipton’s Gas Bar in Canada, knows to expect the unexpected. But even he couldn’t believe his eyes one fine morning.

Picture this: Jay, fresh from a store sweep and sipping his morning coffee, glanced towards the entrance, and what did he see? A black bear moseying its way into his convenience store, as if it had just remembered it needed groceries.

Now, before you judge this bear too harshly, consider this: it’s almost hibernation season, and our furry friend was on a mission to pack on some extra pounds for a cozy winter nap. That explains why it wasn’t interested in just any snack.

Security cameras captured the bear bypassing the chips, ignoring the cereal, and sauntering straight to the candy aisle. And there, in a strangely poetic twist, it reached for a bag of gummy bears. Who knew bears had such refined taste?

Once the bear had made its candy selection, it didn’t stage a daring getaway. Nope, it casually ambled back out of the store, strolled to the end of Jay’s driveway, and began munching on its ill-gotten gummy bears. Imagine the audacity!

Jay deGoesbriand, recounting the adventure to the Vancouver Sun, quipped, “Then this little bugger has the nerve to sit at the end of my driveway, look at me, and eat it. He just decided to come in and do some shopping… without paying!”

While Jay might’ve been a tad miffed about the bear’s sticky-fingered antics, he was relieved that the furry shopaholic limited its “haul” to gummy bears and left the rest of the store unscathed.

In a rare display of politeness, the bear didn’t cause any chaos, didn’t knock anything over, and, interestingly, didn’t even acknowledge Jay’s presence. Jay summed it up succinctly: “He wasn’t aggressive at all. It was pretty weird. That’s definitely a first for me.”

So there you have it, a bear’s quirky craving for gummy bears left a Canadian convenience store owner in awe. While it wasn’t the “beary” best way to start the day, it sure made for one unforgettable story in the annals of unusual animal encounters.