Bear destroys the inside of a car in a Colorado town

A simple warning coming from police in a small Colorado town: lock your car doors.

The warning comes from the Snowmass Village Police Department. They shared photos to their Facebook page on Monday, showcasing the extensive damage a bear did after entering an unlocked vehicle.

"Have you ever wondered what happens when a bear breaks into a car?"

Police answered that question with the photos at the top and bottom of this article.

"Insurance doesn't usually cover this," police added to their Facebook page.

Snowmass Village is about 160 miles west of Colorado Springs, just west of Aspen.

The following tips are from Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

-Many bears that enter homes do so through an unlocked or

open window or door. Close and lock all bear-accessible windows

and doors when you leave the house, and at night before you go

to bed.

-If you must leave downstairs windows open, install sturdy

grates or bars. Screens don’t keep out bears.

-Keep garage doors and windows closed and locked at night

and when you’re not home. Don’t leave your garage door standing

open when you’re not outside. Install extra-sturdy doors

if you have a freezer, refrigerator, pet food, bird seed, or other

attractants in your garage.

-Keep car doors and windows closed and locked if you park

outside. Make sure there’s nothing with an odor in your vehicle,

including candy, gum, air fresheners, trash, lotions and lip balms.

-Bears are great climbers — remove any tree limbs that might

provide access to upper level decks and windows.

-Replace exterior lever-style door handles with good quality

round door knobs that bears can’t pull or push open.

-Put on talk radio (not music) when you leave home; the

human voice startles most bears.

Get Rid of Attractants

-Bears follow their super-sensitive noses to anything that smells

like food, and can follow scents from up to five miles away.

-Don’t leave trash out overnight unless it’s in a bear-proof

enclosure or container. Obey all local regulations.

-We recommend feeding birds only when bears are hibernating.

If you want to feed birds when bears are active, please

review the Attracting Birds, Not Bears fact sheet on our website.

-Don’t store food of any kind in an unlocked garage, flimsy

shed or on or under your deck.

-Don’t leave anything with an odor outside, near open windows

or in your vehicle, even if you’re home. That includes scented

candles, air fresheners, soaps and lotions.

Teach Bears They’re Not Welcome

-If a bear comes into your yard or close to your home, do

yourself and the bear a big favor, and scare it away. A confident

attitude plus loud noises like a firm yell, clapping your hands,

banging on pots and pans or blowing an air horn sends most

bears running.

-If a bear enters your home, open doors and windows and

make sure it can leave the same way it got in. Don’t approach the

bear or block escape routes.

-Never approach a bear. If a bear won’t leave, call your local

CPW office. If a bear presents an immediate threat to human

safety, call 911.