- During a fishing trip, a group of visitors was spotted getting close to a black bear feasting on salmon for pictures and selfies.
- One man attempted to pet the bear, causing a reaction from the animal.
- Officials in British Colombia have warned others not to do the same.
Video shows a man petting the black bear
A visitor to Campbell River in Vancouver Island documented the moment a man tried to pet a wild black bear in a video that sparked upset.
Taken from a bridge above, the video captured a group who appeared to be fishing at the river, with a camping chair set up. The bear could be seen by the riverbed, eating a salmon on the side.
The group initially began standing around the bear, posing for group photos and selfies with the mammal, standing just inches away from it. One individual however attempted to get even closer by stroking the bear’s back. In a tense moment, the bear quickly stopped eating and turned towards the man, who jumped away just in time before being hurt.
“Dude, don’t touch the bear. Are you kidding me, man,” someone can be heard shouting from the bridge to the group.
The video was posted to Instagram by user @Bl00k_ who shared it on October 1.
Warnings against touching black bears
CHEK News spoke to WildsafeBC, an organization that strives to prevent human-wildlife conflicts, about the video. Program director Lisa Lopez said that it’s “just not giving the animal the space that it needs. That bear likely came over to that salmon that was available on the shoreline, and the action that we would suggest people take there is to back away from that space and give that bear space and time to finish its meal.”
The act of touching a black bear however isn’t illegal. Instead, feeding the bear would have been an offense.
Black bears aren’t usually dangerous
According to the North American Bear Center, black bear attacks are very rare, compared to grizzly bears for example, due to the black bear’s timid nature.
Most attacks occur in situations like that of the video, with the black bear reacting to someone coming too close, rather than an offensive attack. Injuries from these attacks however are often minimal, with the bear often slapping or nipping.
Bears that visit campgrounds, bird feeders, and garbage cans almost never kill people, even though these bears have by far the most contact with people. The 750,000 black bears of North America kill less than one person per year on the average,” reports The North American Bear Center.
If you encounter a black bear, it’s advised by The Humane Society of the United States to remain calm and remember that the animal is likely more scared than you.
The post Man tries to pet feasting black bear in video after posing for selfies inches away appeared first on HITC.
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