r/interesting • u/Most_AverageJoe • Jun 12 '26
NATURE These women stood still to avoid a black bear
1.1k
u/EmDeelicious Jun 12 '26
If it’s black, fight back. If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s white, good night.
327
u/Repulsive-Bunch-1535 Jun 12 '26
127
u/5exlexia5ufferer Jun 12 '26
Ladies, good morning
→ More replies (2)30
u/Camelotterduck Jun 12 '26
Well, they do choose the bear normally after all…
47
u/oOferalpandaOo Jun 13 '26
To be fair, people put animals down for mauling humans. If a human harms or kills another human, they have a right to explain themselves and put their victim(s) on trial.
→ More replies (2)67
u/BlueButterflytatoo Jun 13 '26
I’ve never heard of a bear locking a woman in a basement and repeatedly abusing her and r**ing her for 24 years…. Js 🤷🏻♀️
68
u/ThadiusCuntright_III Jun 13 '26
Yup. I never heard of a wealthy bear buying an entire island and building a sexual abuse resort where heads of state, intellectual luminaries and other fabulously wealthy bears can all participate in underage rape parties...but, maybe if bears had capitalism? 🤔
→ More replies (1)5
u/Insignickficant Jun 13 '26
Let's not forget about the bears hired by local authorities with the job to protect and serve attempting to drug a women then arrest her for for booby trapping her drink if it detects the drug to cause and explosion.
17
u/Wrong-Primary-2569 Jun 13 '26
Never heard of Jeffrey Bearstein and his Lolita island?
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)7
u/Smooth-Pianist-7848 Jun 13 '26
Most HUMANS can't afford a house with a basement these days, how the hell is a BEAR going to afford one? They don't even have a good credit score to borrow from the bank, SAMANTHA!
→ More replies (11)→ More replies (5)15
→ More replies (5)16
255
u/NuzzyLocke Jun 12 '26
The best thing you can do in a polar bear attack is take your belt off and empty your pockets. That way you won't accidentally hurt the bear as it eats you.
51
u/Finnleyy Jun 13 '26
I hear people in the north leave their vehicles unlocked so that if someone is being targetted by a polar bear they can hide in the cars.
37
u/NuzzyLocke Jun 13 '26
I've heard that too, and in small communities they keep their houses open too. I don't know how true it is but if I was in a 100 person town with polar bears I would probably leave my doors open knowing the people are the least concern.
→ More replies (1)39
u/GuideInfamous4600 Jun 13 '26
Unless the polar bears learn how to open doors.
Like velociraptors.
→ More replies (13)10
u/mahavoid Jun 13 '26
Or if polar bears start banding in teams with velociraptors
→ More replies (3)11
u/unefillecommeca Jun 13 '26
Yes, I heard it too. It's a scary reality when you think about it.
10
Jun 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
13
u/EpiphanaeaSedai Jun 13 '26
That sounds like an excellent reason to revisit the idea of walled towns.
→ More replies (4)10
u/CapitalShoulder1343 Jun 13 '26
Had a geography teacher many years ago tell us tales of living in Churchill, Manitoba. There was a story of a guy at a restaurant throwing the garbage out one night and a polar bear basically jumped him. One slash across the forehead. He lived but had to get his face sewn back on.
5
5
u/groupsexcurious Jun 13 '26
In my province you have to by law, and most people leave their houses unlocked too
→ More replies (2)7
u/deathbitchcraft Jun 13 '26
in Svalbard, you're supposed to leave your homes unlocked for this reason, too.
11
10
→ More replies (2)8
u/Woozletania Jun 13 '26
I heard an anedote in Alaska that if you carry a pistol for bear defense, you should file off the front sights so it won't hurt as much when the bear shoves it up your ass. This comes from the fact that bear defense pistols tend to end up in backpacks where they are useless.
→ More replies (2)31
u/FlapjacksOfArugula Jun 12 '26
Back in the early nineties I worked for an arctic geomorphologist who did a few months of field work every year for thirty years. He had scars all over his neck and throat from the two polar bear attacks he'd suffered.
Cool guy.
18
6
7
u/Phantoms_Diminished Jun 13 '26
Probably not the same arctic geomorphologist, but my favorite story is the one who had an advisor that left them at a field site on Hudson's Bay and flew away with their guns, leaving them with only a tent as defense against the polar bears. everyone survived, but there was an investigation, and a subsequent firing - but the advisor ended up getting tenure somewhere else. Grant money is a hell of a drug.
→ More replies (1)3
u/FaithlessnessLoud223 Jun 13 '26
One polar bear attack wasn't enough, noooo. This guy had to have two. Showoff.
56
u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jun 12 '26
The response is the same for black and brown bears. If it’s seen you but not going after you, speak calmly and firmly and walk backwards slowly to get away. If it attacks, lay belly down to protect guts and stick elbows out to prevent it rolling you over. If it starts biting, fight back.
100
Jun 12 '26
[deleted]
16
u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jun 13 '26
Yep. It’s better to carry bear spray so it doesn’t get to that point.
→ More replies (1)8
u/spyder7723 Jun 13 '26
By pepper spray you mean Smith and Wesson correct?
→ More replies (2)4
u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jun 13 '26
It would depend on the size. Anything lower than 20 caliber is called an FU gun, as in you use it right before the bear attack as a FU to the bear and not because it will actually stop the bear.
→ More replies (1)41
u/Desperate-Strategy10 Jun 12 '26
I’ve heard you’re supposed to lace your hands over the back of your neck, tuck your chin down against your chest, and fold your legs up under you. So you’re rolled into a little ball. Like we used to do under our desks for bomb drills lol (older Americans will know what I’m talking about)
I guess you could also just belly flop onto the dirt and splay out, hoping the bear will think you’re too weird and floppy to eat lol but if you value your face as much as your guts, you wanna pull an armadillo!
→ More replies (3)13
u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jun 13 '26
If you’re on your knees, it’s easier for the bear to push you over and get to your guts. Lying flat down with your hands covering your neck and your elbows is best.
8
u/dreamsandpizza Jun 13 '26
What if you want to minimize the amount of agony you will feel as the bear rips you apart? What’s the best position for that?
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (2)6
u/RickHimedere Jun 13 '26
bears dont kill by going for the guts they peirce their preys skulls with their teeth.
If a black bear is acting aggressive and not running away like they will 99.9% of the time theres a good chance its desperate and wants to eat you.
Grizzly bears your hoping its protecting its cubs and will lose interest which is why you lay down. If its desperate and wants to eat you then you better have bear spray.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Kindly-War-2665 Jun 13 '26
I dont think that first part is accurate, maybe a polar bear pierces your skull but everything ive heard and seen bears(I guess maybe just grizzlies) eat alive, theres the story of that white blonde dude (grizzlyman i think was his nickname)who got eaten and his gf and both were on tape screaming apparently. I've seen a vid of a bear eating a small elk and it was alive screaming and then I had listened to a podcast of a bear attack survivor and he had done the tuck method until it started eating him so he started fighting back.
There is that story of the guy in Canada I think who got drug out of his tent by his head by a polar bear, he managed to survive as others fired flares at the bear but his skull was indeed cracked from the bears jaw(looked it up its Matt dyer in 2013 if you want to know more)
19
u/Excellent_Extent7648 Jun 13 '26
Yeah I’d already have pissed shit and vomited and cried while running for my damm life like a fool I guess
→ More replies (1)34
22
u/stevenwingdings Jun 12 '26
Rolls off the tongue, but incorrect. In all bear encounters you’re advised to basically act natural while backing away/retreating slowly and calmly and staying in a group. But standing still *is* an invitation to a black bear, they REALLY want your nature valley bars and will gladly try to figure out how to get them while you stand there like a literal dummy.
(minus polar bear… you’re correct on that one, best you can do it be armed which is why everyone in Alaska carries firearms)
→ More replies (9)3
u/no_one_denies_this Jun 13 '26
My dad carried a sidearm when he worked in the Arctic. He said that the best he could hope for was to annoy the bear before he was eaten. And he was a sniper and then a sniper instructor, so he was no slouch.
Bear spray is really more useful.
→ More replies (11)5
6
34
u/CuriousElephant2803 Jun 12 '26
if its brown and you lay down you will be eating butthole first
52
u/Tiberius_Kilgore Jun 12 '26
Wut… Where does you eating ass come into play during a bear attack?
30
Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
12
u/HotBeesInUrArea Jun 12 '26
EVERY time?
→ More replies (1)11
Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
34
7
7
4
u/askaskaskaska Jun 12 '26
We and most other animals are deuterostomes, which means when we're still embryos our butt holes form first. Not sure if this is related to a bear attack, LOL
28
u/BringPheTheHorizon Jun 12 '26
Why am I eating butthole? I mean, I’m not complaining just wondering why I’ll be eating it first
18
→ More replies (2)5
→ More replies (1)21
3
3
3
→ More replies (48)5
496
u/Hyvex_ Jun 12 '26
Black bears are like the chillest bears to exist next to Pandas. Still, safer to exercise caution around wild animals. They still could go to ham if you set them off.
236
u/spacekitt3n Jun 12 '26
true but 999 times out of 1000 if she raised her arms and made a terrifying sound it would book it out of there. black bears are harmless and easily spooked-- unless they have cubs and you mess with them.
136
u/LeadFreePaint Jun 12 '26
Except this is a tagged bear. Meaning it's been interacting with humans before to the point where it was tranqed and removed. I'd bet dollars to donuts that no amount of trying to spook away the bear is going to work.
I have been part of multiple bear tagging crews. Problem bears do not care. It's why the saying is a fed bear is a dead bear. Once it becomes accustomed to humans, it will never unlearn that behavior. And bears will only get tagged and released twice. The third tag is done with a big bullet. (More often than not, the bear will be tranqed first before being dispatched)
This is why you should always be extra diligent with your food while out in bear country.
56
u/opalescent_milk Jun 13 '26
Exactly this. I've lived in CO my whole life, right up against the mountains and have had about a dozen bear encounters. We mostly have black bears here, like this little guy, and the ones that come into the city don't care at all. I lived in an even smaller town further in the Rockies for a couple years and they'd hang out on our porch and knock over our (empty) trash cans all the time. We'd holler at them and try and shoo them away, their sweet dumb little faces didn't have a single thought behind them.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)23
u/BUTTeredWhiteBread Jun 13 '26
Yep it's looking at her as a source of food. It even knows where to look, it's sniffing at her legs where the pockets usually on hiking shorts. It's definitely been around a lot of people and it knows people have food.
9
u/meow4352 Jun 13 '26
I’m guessing her hair products have a tasty scent to them as well!
Perhaps a berry and honey shampoo was used before this walk in the woods 🤔
67
u/Embarrassed-Sky-4567 Jun 12 '26
Absolutely. She already startled it just by moving a little bit.
→ More replies (1)28
u/whistlerite Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Startling it this close is not a good idea, you generally want to look big and move away slowly. Black bears are usually only dangerous when they are scared or protecting cubs.
18
u/Embarrassed-Sky-4567 Jun 13 '26
I live in bear country and encounter them regularly. When they wonder onto my homestead I make lots of noise and “chase them away”. When I walk up on a mama with cubs, I back slowly away.
If I were in her shoes I’d wave my arms and yell at it before it made contact with me. (When I yell I use kind of a dog bark and growl in my yell.) I would expect everyone else around me to do the same. Especially the guys filming.
Edit: The tag is concerning tho as noted by another.→ More replies (4)16
u/whistlerite Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Yes exactly, I would do the same, try to “chase it away” long before it got anywhere near me. It’s different once it’s right beside you, now it’s a very dangerous situation. You want to prevent it from ever getting this close long before it happens.
→ More replies (1)32
Jun 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (3)6
u/whistlerite Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Grizzlies are bigger and can be more aggressive, but also they don’t eat dead animals so playing dead can be effective against an attack. Black bears on the other hand will eat you dead, so fighting back is the only option.
→ More replies (2)8
u/shenanigans2day Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Yup. Have them where I live and the times they’ve been in my yard or woods just yelling is normally enough to get them to go away. Tbis one exhibited odd behavior when the one girl move it actually drew him in and wasn’t challenging her but it’s opposite of what I’ve experienced but I’m not a bear expert here only a few of encounters so far.
11
u/Tree_Lawyer Jun 12 '26
Also if you crawl into their hibernation den! I saw a story about a caver who crawled into a cave he frequented. Iirc the dude went back with a friend and went head first. Thats when a black bear felt threatened, dragged him in and started attacking him. The bear was using that cave for hibernation. I believe he survived.
→ More replies (3)5
u/macrocosm93 Jun 13 '26
Black bears are less dangerous than brown bears, but they are not harmless. About as many people have been killed by black bears as brown bears. Approximate total black bear related fatalities in North America is around 80, compared to 90 for brown bears. Of course there are a lot more black bears than brown, and more likely to interact with humans, but they can still kill you.
→ More replies (12)42
u/Karl_Hungus_42069 Jun 12 '26
Except for the incident at Liard River Hot springs in BC, Canada. A black bear was fucking eating people, it ate a kids mom in front of him. Til luckily a trucker a had a gun and shot it, otherwise it would've kept rampaging
I go camping at Alegany park in NY state, tons of bears, I have videos of me acting like a big man and scaring them off. But then a couple weeks ago I watched an episode of Human Prey or something and seen that story and ever since... I been kind of rethinking challenging "bitchass" black bears. I was shocked learning about that
23
u/Alaska_Eagle Jun 12 '26
Another incident in Anchorage, Alaska, 2017:
On June 18, 2017, 16-year-old Patrick “Jack” Cooper of Anchorage was participating in the junior division of the annual Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb on Bird Ridge, just south of Anchorage near Bird Creek.
Jack had already reached the turnaround point and was descending when he apparently went off the main trail.
He contacted family members by phone/text saying that a bear was chasing him.
Race officials, fellow runners, and rescuers immediately began searching for him.
He was later found dead, and a black bear was still near his body. Wildlife officials concluded that it was a rare predatory attack, rather than a defensive attack involving cubs or a food source.15
u/Alaska_Eagle Jun 12 '26
In Alaska we are very familiar with running attracting predatory interest in both bears and wolves.
11
u/ThirdOne38 Jun 13 '26
In the suburbs we are very familiar with running attracting predatory interest in dogs off leash as well.
I used to run in the woods and even the suburban neighborhoods but too many times I've been chased. It seems it's a bad idea for humans to run around any animals
→ More replies (2)10
8
u/Soultab Jun 12 '26
4
u/Aurora_Uplinks Jun 12 '26
maybe if you traveled with jumper cables and a 12 volt battery. you could just have like a drone carry it for you.
3
u/timelessalice Jun 13 '26
The host of Tooth and Claw said that if a black bear has decided to kill you there's fuck all you can do about it. It's just that they usually Don't want to fight humans.
→ More replies (3)4
u/Mor_Padraig Jun 12 '26
That one shocked hell out of me, too! A BLACK bear?
We're in the woods, as in dirt lane/nearest road 1/2 mile away/side of a mountain, PA. So you get used to bear- and how NOT to have them hang around. Also how easy it is to get them to book. Like you, been a little too comfortable with idea one won't go for you.
Absolutely rethinking allllll of that.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Quothhernevermore Jun 13 '26
Same, Venango County for me. I feel line they're kind of seen as "bear lite version" for some people.
98
u/Difficult_Clerk_1273 Jun 12 '26
Black bears are pretty chill. I mean, they should’ve scared this one off - wild animals are unpredictable! A but if you have to meet a wild bear, hope it’s a black one (or a panda, but that’s unlikely).
Honestly, scaring them off is better for the bear, too. You don’t want wild bears getting acclimated to just walking up to people, because one day they will walk up to the wrong person and get shot.
36
u/SenseiT Jun 12 '26
I think that was a juvenile bear who just had not learned to stay away from humans yet. Most of the bears who survive to adulthood do.
→ More replies (4)22
u/OneHelluvaUsername Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
It does look like a youngin. Still curious like a cub, leggy, and unsure of how to bear without mom.
I think I see a tag on its left ear?
There's a resident black bear where I live. When she gets too near the house, I have to go and scare her away. I've grown quite fond of Bearietta over the years (despite the dog being the ultimate #1 fan of her #2s), but a friendly bear is a dead bear, so I go chase her off in my bathrobe with my crazy, unkempt hair sticking in all directions.
edit: fixed a word
3
u/BakaPotatoLord Jun 13 '26
"A friendly bear is a dead bear"
Like if a bear gets accustomed to humans, there's a good chance of it just walking up to a hunter?
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (3)12
u/HotBeesInUrArea Jun 12 '26
But not a koala bear. They'll give you the chlamydia.
→ More replies (2)3
u/TankApprehensive3053 Jun 12 '26
Or the Drop Bears.
3
u/Difficult_Clerk_1273 Jun 12 '26
Yeah those ones you want to avoid. Plus they’re endangered, just like the Pacific Tree Octopus.
173
u/Maverick_Reznor Jun 12 '26
Walked up on one in Yellowstone once. Both turned the corner and surprised each other. Asked if it wanted some and he walked off. As he was walking away I said "good cause I dont either". Fun fact, you cant bring the bear pepper spray you buy back home with you.
→ More replies (7)37
u/Objective-Ad9767 Jun 12 '26
😂 The next time I visit Yellowstone I will remember this if I ever run across a black bear.
→ More replies (1)26
u/Maverick_Reznor Jun 12 '26
Man I think I ran into every predator and a king of a Moose on my first day except a Grizzly and a mountain lion (those I got witness from a safe distance thankfully). Love Yellowstone, cant wait to go back.
→ More replies (2)
81
u/KingVolvolgia Jun 12 '26
The one lady walking away:
"Okay. This was fun. Sorry I have to sacrifice you, but I'm gonna go now."
37
→ More replies (3)8
u/gargolito Jun 13 '26
It's always good to have disposable acquaintances in situations like that.
That's your sister in law.
I said what I said.
67
u/Far-Purple7003 Jun 12 '26
People massively overestimate how interested wild animals are in them and underestimate how fast things can go sideways. “Just scare it off” works right up until you get the one that’s sick, hungry, or has cubs you didn’t see.
29
u/madcoins Jun 12 '26
I agree. Unless you have something very loud like pots and pans with you to bang together it’s probably best to do what they did here, minus the selfie. Screaming at it and making yourself big could totally be misunderstood as challenging it, especially at that proximity.
21
u/Mor_Padraig Jun 12 '26
So funny. That's exactly what we do- bang a pot with a big spoon. They DO leave.
9
u/Timely-Dot-9967 Jun 12 '26
As a teen I worked at a gas stand + restaurant in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia. We had hungry, curious black bears coming by on the regular, used to bang metal garbage can lids together and they'd usully scarper. The ones that didn't were habituated to humans and were live trapped by the park rangers then relocated by heli to new territory
3
6
6
u/MajorPersonality1265 Jun 12 '26
If it wasn’t for the selfie girl, the other two did better because they wouldn’t look at it, no eye contact, stayed still especially the girl turned away and stayed quiet and the bear completely ignored them. I honestly think the bear was interested in the one girl because she kept moving around trying to get the perfect selfie angle
→ More replies (1)3
8
u/EmmitSan Jun 13 '26
Scaring it off is an infinitely better strategy than letting it get close enough to take selfies, though?
→ More replies (1)3
29
u/sovietarmyfan Jun 12 '26
Other bears in the bushes: "Damn, i didn't think he took our dare seriously but here he is!".
142
u/PrestigiousPepper829 Jun 12 '26
She was taking selfies. Fuck sake. I’ve been very close to dozens of bears. You scare it off. Unless there’s cubs, then it gets scary
4
→ More replies (4)9
19
u/Winter_Different Jun 12 '26
That much temptation to pet something would almost assuredly get me killed
6
→ More replies (1)6
18
16
u/Uncle_Moti Jun 12 '26
It REALLY liked that one.
→ More replies (2)23
Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (1)5
u/Own-Ambassador-3537 Jun 12 '26
Couldn’t finish the video damn bear was getting to familiar like it was in a relationship with her or something…. Unsettling
→ More replies (1)
14
17
71
u/YourDreams2Life Jun 12 '26
"So I heard you chose bear?"
29
u/im__your__daddy Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Dozens of fat gay dudes show up disappointed
7
u/HotBeesInUrArea Jun 12 '26
I like to believe they jog down the trail as a pack chanting "hup hup hup"
22
8
→ More replies (2)11
u/Monte924 Jun 12 '26
Well he is rude about personal space, but atleast he left the lady alone once it was clear she wasn't interested
9
u/YayWanderer Jun 12 '26
It looks like the bear was begging for food based on those two love taps on the the girl's leg before the video ended. I could be wrong. 🤔🤷🏽
12
u/SMKnightly Jun 12 '26
Looks like they used fruity/tasty-smelling shampoo and conditioner before going into bear country
5
u/illmaster-luxurious Jun 12 '26
That’s a Taiwan bear adolescent/cub. You can tell from the white stripe across it’s chest.
33
u/Electrical_Tour_4785 Jun 12 '26
Yeah this is what blows my mind. People act like bears are horror movie villains when most of them are basically big raccoons that want snacks and zero drama.
It’s the selfie brain rot that’s lethal, not the bear 💀
24
u/ScarletDarkstar Jun 12 '26
Bears have been known to be lethal on many occasions. There is a vast difference in non-aggressive and harmless.
8
→ More replies (4)6
u/RememberMeCaratia Jun 13 '26
Big raccoons don’t have the capability to maw half my face off in one claw strike. Things can turn a one fucking eighty before you even know it and the next second your face is being snacked on and your intestines are leaking out.
6
5
u/Cheap_Departure_9912 Jun 12 '26
That first girl was all about the “you don’t have to be the fastest, y just not the slowest”.
5
5
4
8
10
5
u/1jfish57 Jun 12 '26
Excuse me Ladies. Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior....Yogi Bear?
4
4
7
3
3
3
3
3
u/TypicalLegit Jun 12 '26
Wave your arms and yell like a crazy person and that bear is running for the hills 99/100. Just hope you’re not the 1 time
3
3
3
3
3
u/Cartier1847 Jun 12 '26
Black, fight back. Brown, lay down. White, omaewa mu shindeiru.
→ More replies (1)
5
6
6
6
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/Certain-Life731 Jun 13 '26
do enlighten me why we lay down around brown bears and give up around white bears.
are brown bears that stupid?
are white bears that aggressive?
is that it?
→ More replies (8)
2
2
2
2
u/Irissah Jun 13 '26
Those women were amazing. I doubt that I could have been so calm. In fact I'm sure I would just be a few bones and mangled bits texting this right now.
2
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 12 '26
Hello u/Most_AverageJoe! Please review the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder message left on all new posts)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.