“Don’t Panic” – Black Bear Walks Right Up To Hikers Near Vancouver

Good thing this hiker was wearing brown pants.

Every once in a while, a video surfaces online that paints the horrific picture of what can happen when hikers cross paths with bears out in the wild. Getting out and experiencing the great outdoors has a multitude of benefits, but the one con about it all is that you could always end up running into wild animals that actually live out in nature.

These hikers in Vancouver, British Columbia were resting in an opening in the woods when a sizable bear walked right up on their site. There was no time to move, and really no time to react, so they decided to go with the tried-and-true “freeze method.” One of the people behind the camera even softly spoke these instructions to a woman who was closely approached by the bruin as she laid up against a tree:

“Don’t move. Don’t panic.”

Easier said than done…

The bear sniffed her up and down as she tried to lay motionless, and once it got down to her feet, she bravely kicked her legs a bit to spook away the wild animal. It ended up doing the trick, though the bear continued to slowly walk around where they were hanging out – probably looking for food.

Because the bear seemed to just be strolling along, another person behind the camera made the mistake of assuming this was one of those bruins out in the wild that just so happens to be well-mannered:

“It’s friendly I think. Might be a friendly bear. Hello! Just don’t bite me. Smile for the camera.”

That right there is a collection of various “famous last words” sayings when in close proximity to a bruin. Just to be clear, there is no such thing as a friendly bear. One moment, a bear could seem as nice and gentle as can be. The next… well I don’t want to get too graphic, but I think you are smelling what I’m stepping in.

These tourists got incredibly lucky that the bruin that walked up on them didn’t decide to go full-blown apex predator. And to give them credit, they actually did the right thing by not running away (that could have triggered the bear’s hunting instinct). However, they probably should have gone the make-yourself-big route, standing up tall and saying, “Hey Bear!” to intimidate the animal and encourage it to leave.

But it can be tough to remember those things in the heat of the moment, and that heat of the moment can be viewed in the clip below:

@2000vn

we bare bear

♬ 原聲 – Shan in Hà Nội