In a surprising turn of events, a mama black bear and her cub took advantage of an open opportunity to feast on Krispy Kreme doughnuts during a delivery to a military base in Anchorage, Alaska. The incident occurred at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where a Krispy Kreme van had pulled up outside a convenience store during its regular delivery route.

According to Shelly Deano, the store manager for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson JMM Express, it was common for the driver to leave the van doors open when stopping at the store. However, this time, a sow and her cub that often loitered nearby decided to take advantage of the situation. The bears nonchalantly sauntered inside the van, where they proceeded to indulge in the delicious pastries for approximately 20 minutes on Tuesday morning.

Deano, a witness to the extraordinary event, described the bears chomping on doughnut holes and various other pastries, even ignoring the banging on the side of the van intended to shoo them away. "I was beating on the van and they're not moving. I could hear them breaking open the packages and everything," she exclaimed. "I was like, 'They don't even care.'"

As the bears showed no signs of leaving, base security was called to the scene. They attempted to scare away the bears by sounding sirens, but the bears remained unfazed. Eventually, the bears emerged from the van and wandered in front of the convenience store and gas station before disappearing into the woods. Deano mentioned that while it was not uncommon to spot bears on the military base or around the store, nothing of this magnitude had occurred before.

In light of the incident, the delivery driver has now learned to close his doors when stopping at the shop. Deano emphasized the caution exercised by the store's staff, stating, "We're cautious when we come in, when we leave. When we take out garbage, we do it in pairs, especially if it's dark."

Capt. Lexi Smith, a spokesperson at the base, acknowledged the incident and reminded the public to exercise caution when encountering wildlife to protect both the animals and themselves. "We urge the public to use caution to ensure you are protecting our wildlife and yourselves. Wildlife may be our neighbor, but they should not be attracted to our human food sources," Smith said.

The bear raid on the Krispy Kreme van at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson garnered attention beyond the military base. Candice Sargeant, a local Krispy Kreme general manager, expressed her surprise upon learning about the brazen bear bandits. "There's no way that bears are in the back of the van. You'd think doughnuts and bears, and then I was like, 'OK, how do we solve this?'" Sargeant said.

She assured that her team had learned valuable lessons from the incident, stating, "We'll definitely be learning to slide up our ramp, close the doors, to ensure that bears don't get back in there again." With a lighthearted tone, Sargeant highlighted the need to take precautions to prevent future encounters between bears and their beloved doughnuts.