Squirrels Infiltrate a Convenience Store to Steal Candy

When the owners of a convenience shop in Toronto, Canada, discovered who was responsible for a series of chocolate bar thefts, their reaction was bittersweet: Gimme a break.

The candy thieves, as the Kim family discovered, were a local gang of squirrels.

Their sticky fingers – frequently sliding into the store while the door was left open – have resulted in scores of chocolate bars vanishing from Luke’s Grocery and Snack Bar’s shelves over the years.

Cindy Kim believes her parents are solely to blame.

Her father, who owns the business, began doing some community outreach around five years ago, particularly feeding the birds that flocked outside.

His generosity, though, may have attracted another element to the area.

“The squirrels began to come and eat the sunflower seeds and other things,” Kim tells The Dodo. “They must have become accustomed to coming to our store for meals. However, such seeds do not last indefinitely. So I believe they began looting us.”

Last fall, she says, there was a significant uptick in heists, with around 40 candy bars snatched from the east-end shop – “mainly chocolate bars.”

“We don’t always capture them,” Kim says. “We’re guessing they come and leave and we’re completely unaware of it.”

While the shoplifters appear to have figured out when to strike, Kim’s parents appear to have caught on.

“They’d peek out the window and see a squirrel hanging around in front of the business,” Kim explains.

There’s a faint rustling sound after that. A smidgeon of movement.

And… Payday.

“It’s tough to catch them in the act,” Kim admits, despite the fact that her parents and even customers have attempted to apprehend the thieves.

The problem is that by the time anyone reacts, the thief has already made it halfway down the street, chocolate bar in mouth.

The family is searching for methods to protect against spring’s anticipated crime wave now that the heists have slowed down a bit, with squirrel sightings relatively uncommon – and the front door largely shut.

Meanwhile, the burglars are probably spending the winter in a nearby tree, attempting to figure out how they obtained the caramilk from a Caramilk bar.

You can keep up with these sugar thieves’ exploits by clicking here.

Below is a video of one of the chocolate bar robberies: