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Bear follows joggers, were their lives in danger or bear just playing? (1 Viewer)

How terrified would you have been?

  • The most

    Votes: 37 42.0%

  • A lot

    Votes: 33 37.5%

  • Some

    Votes: 10 11.4%

  • A little

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • Not at all

    Votes: 5 5.7%
  • Total voters
    88
The bear was being playful, but creatures of that size can easily kill a person even just having some fun. If it wanted to kill them, they'd be dead. The hikers handled it very well.

 
Bears aren't in the habit of wasting energy to be playful. It was scoping an opportunity and their mistake was in not yelling very loudly at it.

 
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Mr. Ham said:
Bears aren't in the habit of wasting energy to be playful. It was scoping an opportunity and their mistake was in not yelling very loudly at it.
Click to expand...
My take as well. I've come pretty close to black bears probably a half dozen times and yelling seems to send them on their way.

 
NutterButter said:
Mr. Ham said:
Bears aren't in the habit of wasting energy to be playful. It was scoping an opportunity and their mistake was in not yelling very loudly at it.
Click to expand...
My take as well. I've come pretty close to black bears probably a half dozen times and yelling seems to send them on their way.
Click to expand...
My wife and I had a very close call - 2 or 3 feet - in Yosemite. Very scary. We yelled and he backed off.

Also, their jogging when he'd finally backed off may have been a great idea for the younger, faster guy, but if the bear were inclined to give chase - as the act of running might have made it - that wouldn't have ended well.

 
I'm sure the bear has seen runners/hikers on that trail numerous times. I'm not sure slowing down (as they did in the beginning) was wise. Probably should have just continued on.

 
That's terrifying watching it in an office in Australia. Props to those guys for keeping their #### together (at least so far, haven't finished the video yet). From what I know about bears (very little) I think running away at all was a mistake as you want to appear intimidating, but they had the right idea with the "get together and look bigger" thing.

That said, the fact that the bear was even being that aggressive (if that is in fact that it was doing) when it was a 2 on 1 situation suggests that it might have been hungrier than usual. I thought bears were a little more cautious/opportunistic than that.

But that gives me the creeps, I really respect each of those guys for not kicking his buddy in the shin really hard and running away.

Then again, I only recently saw the Timothy Treadwell documentary and spent like an hour after watching it googling bear attack stuffs, so maybe it's that.

But no ####### chance in hell am I seeing that and thinking "Oh hey, maybe it just wants to play!"

 
Again, not criticizing them, but maybe they should've tried to separate and one of them get behind the bear, make it uncomfortable. Or also, you know, that could be the opposite of what to do.

 
Jeez yeah, that bear is clearly trying to get behind them IMO, that's how I read into him randomly sprinting and trying to circle behind them.

 
Encountering a Black Bear

If you encounter a Black Bear it is likely to react in one of four ways.

  • Fleeing Bear
  • Habituated Bear
  • Defensive Bear
  • Predatory Bear
1. Fleeing Bear

In most cases, a bear will hear or smell you before you are aware of it. Even if you surprise a bear, it will most often flee the area. Reacting to a fleeing bear... Enjoy the fleeting sight of a wild Black Bear.

2. Habituated Bear

Some bears lose their fear of humans from frequent human contact or from being rewarded with human food or garbage. These bears may not respond to our attempts to dissuade them and may react defensively. Reacting to an Habituated Bear... Stay calm and determine if the bear is aware of you. If the bear is unaware of you, move away quietly. However, if the bear is aware of you, talk to the bear in a low tone, wave your arms, back away, and leave the area. If you are near a building or car, get inside as a precaution. If the bear was attracted to food or garbage, remove it after the bear leaves to discourage the bear from returning.

3. Defensive Bear

A defensive bear will respond in a defensive manner if it perceives you as a threat or if it is defending a food source. It may use vocalizations such as huffing, blowing air loudly through nostrils, exhaling loudly and "popping" of teeth, and may swat the ground with its fore paws, lowering its head, and drawing back the ears. As well, a defensive bear may resort to bluff charges. The bear is feeling threatened by your presence and is trying to get you to back off. Reacting to a Defensive Bear... Stop and face the bear. If you are with others, stay together and act as a group. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route. Slowly back away while watching the bear and wait for it to leave. Use a whistle or airhorn, or bear spray if you have them. Do not turn and run - this may trigger a predatory response in the bear. Do not climb a tree - bears are excellent climbers.

4. Predatory Black Bear

On EXTREMELY RARE occasions, a bear will attack humans with the intent to kill. Predatory bears seldom make huffing or "popping" sounds, nor do they swat the ground with their forepaws, or bluff charge as defensive bears sometimes do. Instead, they silently stalk, or press closer and closer to their intended prey, apparently assessing whether it is safe to attack. Reacting to a Predatory Bear... Leave the area in your canoe or car if you can, but never turn and run. If you cannot leave, confront the bear. Do everything in your power to make the bear think twice about attacking you. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks, hit the bear with sticks, and use your whistle, airhorn, or bear spray if you have them. If a predatory bear does make contact with you, do not play dead. Fighting back with everything you have is the best way to persuade a predatory Black Bear to halt its attack.

 
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We had a black bear roaming through NJ this summer. I thought nothing of it until that thing popped out of the woods during our 3rd softball practice. While we weren't in danger we could see it about 100 yards away. Was a tad scary with a bunch of kids running around

 
Willie Neslon said:
Encountering a Black Bear

If you encounter a Black Bear it is likely to react in one of four ways.

  • Fleeing Bear
  • Habituated Bear
  • Defensive Bear
  • Predatory Bear
1. Fleeing Bear

In most cases, a bear will hear or smell you before you are aware of it. Even if you surprise a bear, it will most often flee the area. Reacting to a fleeing bear... Enjoy the fleeting sight of a wild Black Bear.

2. Habituated Bear

Some bears lose their fear of humans from frequent human contact or from being rewarded with human food or garbage. These bears may not respond to our attempts to dissuade them and may react defensively. Reacting to an Habituated Bear... Stay calm and determine if the bear is aware of you. If the bear is unaware of you, move away quietly. However, if the bear is aware of you, talk to the bear in a low tone, wave your arms, back away, and leave the area. If you are near a building or car, get inside as a precaution. If the bear was attracted to food or garbage, remove it after the bear leaves to discourage the bear from returning.

3. Defensive Bear

A defensive bear will respond in a defensive manner if it perceives you as a threat or if it is defending a food source. It may use vocalizations such as huffing, blowing air loudly through nostrils, exhaling loudly and "popping" of teeth, and may swat the ground with its fore paws, lowering its head, and drawing back the ears. As well, a defensive bear may resort to bluff charges. The bear is feeling threatened by your presence and is trying to get you to back off. Reacting to a Defensive Bear... Stop and face the bear. If you are with others, stay together and act as a group. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route. Slowly back away while watching the bear and wait for it to leave. Use a whistle or airhorn, or bear spray if you have them. Do not turn and run - this may trigger a predatory response in the bear. Do not climb a tree - bears are excellent climbers.

4. Predatory Black Bear

On EXTREMELY RARE occasions, a bear will attack humans with the intent to kill. Predatory bears seldom make huffing or "popping" sounds, nor do they swat the ground with their forepaws, or bluff charge as defensive bears sometimes do. Instead, they silently stalk, or press closer and closer to their intended prey, apparently assessing whether it is safe to attack. Reacting to a Predatory Bear... Leave the area in your canoe or car if you can, but never turn and run. If you cannot leave, confront the bear. Do everything in your power to make the bear think twice about attacking you. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks, hit the bear with sticks, and use your whistle, airhorn, or bear spray if you have them. If a predatory bear does make contact with you, do not play dead. Fighting back with everything you have is the best way to persuade a predatory Black Bear to halt its attack.
Click to expand...
Yeah, certainly a Habituated Bear here.

 
Stalking. If they would've run, they'd be toast. Or if there'd only been one of them, that person might be gone.

There is one part where the bear comes close up (on their right), pauses, starts to raise his paw. That was the close call.

LOL @ "playing". It's not a labrador.

 
Adult Black Bears do not play with humans. They do not play with each other. They do not play. During the fall they pack on calories for the winter. Once the year's mating is done they are of a singular mind, survival in the wild demands no less. This was testing predatory behavior one would see when a black bear encounters a food source it is uncertain about, one it has not before taken advantage of. This uncertainty is an opportunity. During the uncertainty smaller animals, badgers, raccoons, martins can often back down the uncertain predator. They have a strong instinct against attacking something likely, or perceived as likely to wound them. Getting wounded is very counterproductive, survival-wise. They should have gathered close, raised up high, been loud, and done bluff advances and even tried to sting the animal a bit by throwing rocks or hitting in the muzzle with sticks. What they did not want to do is show the weakness of a slow retreat with no defense or possible danger. They were starting to look a lot like dinner.

 
And how in the world does that guy bail on the old fella? Leaves him in the dust. It's kinda funny but damn, not cool at all. Wonder if that was his Dad!

 
Ditkaless Wonders said:
Adult Black Bears do not play with humans. They do not play with each other. They do not play. During the fall they pack on calories for the winter. Once the year's mating is done they are of a singular mind, survival in the wild demands no less. This was testing predatory behavior one would see when a black bear encounters a food source it is uncertain about, one it has not before taken advantage of. This uncertainty is an opportunity. During the uncertainty smaller animals, badgers, raccoons, martins can often back down the uncertain predator. They have a strong instinct against attacking something likely, or perceived as likely to wound them. Getting wounded is very counterproductive, survival-wise. They should have gathered close, raised up high, been loud, and done bluff advances and even tried to sting the animal a bit by throwing rocks or hitting in the muzzle with sticks. What they did not want to do is show the weakness of a slow retreat with no defense or possible danger. They were starting to look a lot like dinner.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But then it just said, "#### it." and gave up the pursuit. I wonder why.

 
glock said:
Ditkaless Wonders said:
Adult Black Bears do not play with humans. They do not play with each other. They do not play. During the fall they pack on calories for the winter. Once the year's mating is done they are of a singular mind, survival in the wild demands no less. This was testing predatory behavior one would see when a black bear encounters a food source it is uncertain about, one it has not before taken advantage of. This uncertainty is an opportunity. During the uncertainty smaller animals, badgers, raccoons, martins can often back down the uncertain predator. They have a strong instinct against attacking something likely, or perceived as likely to wound them. Getting wounded is very counterproductive, survival-wise. They should have gathered close, raised up high, been loud, and done bluff advances and even tried to sting the animal a bit by throwing rocks or hitting in the muzzle with sticks. What they did not want to do is show the weakness of a slow retreat with no defense or possible danger. They were starting to look a lot like dinner.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But then it just said, "#### it." and gave up the pursuit. I wonder why.
Click to expand...
I think it kept trying to navigate to get behind them for an easy attack, but they joggers kept turning with him, not giving him an ideal opening. It was probably a close call for the bear, and getting behind them would've been the tie-breaker, but he couldn't get there.

At least, those are the thoughts I'm making up and putting in the bear's head.

 
I was hoping for the payoff was for the bear to already be inside his car when he got in

 
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glock said:
Ditkaless Wonders said:
Adult Black Bears do not play with humans. They do not play with each other. They do not play. During the fall they pack on calories for the winter. Once the year's mating is done they are of a singular mind, survival in the wild demands no less. This was testing predatory behavior one would see when a black bear encounters a food source it is uncertain about, one it has not before taken advantage of. This uncertainty is an opportunity. During the uncertainty smaller animals, badgers, raccoons, martins can often back down the uncertain predator. They have a strong instinct against attacking something likely, or perceived as likely to wound them. Getting wounded is very counterproductive, survival-wise. They should have gathered close, raised up high, been loud, and done bluff advances and even tried to sting the animal a bit by throwing rocks or hitting in the muzzle with sticks. What they did not want to do is show the weakness of a slow retreat with no defense or possible danger. They were starting to look a lot like dinner.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But then it just said, "#### it." and gave up the pursuit. I wonder why.
Click to expand...
On that last tree it looked like he could have caught his face on a branch. Either that or it just didn't smell right to him at that point of the trail, maybe the woods kind of ended around there.

 
PatsWillWin said:
glock said:
Ditkaless Wonders said:
Adult Black Bears do not play with humans. They do not play with each other. They do not play. During the fall they pack on calories for the winter. Once the year's mating is done they are of a singular mind, survival in the wild demands no less. This was testing predatory behavior one would see when a black bear encounters a food source it is uncertain about, one it has not before taken advantage of. This uncertainty is an opportunity. During the uncertainty smaller animals, badgers, raccoons, martins can often back down the uncertain predator. They have a strong instinct against attacking something likely, or perceived as likely to wound them. Getting wounded is very counterproductive, survival-wise. They should have gathered close, raised up high, been loud, and done bluff advances and even tried to sting the animal a bit by throwing rocks or hitting in the muzzle with sticks. What they did not want to do is show the weakness of a slow retreat with no defense or possible danger. They were starting to look a lot like dinner.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But then it just said, "#### it." and gave up the pursuit. I wonder why.
Click to expand...
I think it kept trying to navigate to get behind them for an easy attack, but they joggers kept turning with him, not giving him an ideal opening. It was probably a close call for the bear, and getting behind them would've been the tie-breaker, but he couldn't get there.

At least, those are the thoughts I'm making up and putting in the bear's head.
Click to expand...
Sounds about right. I'm out there enough, but never really gave this much thought.

Well... Until now. :oldunsure:

 
Willie Neslon said:
glock said:
Willie Neslon said:
PatsWillWin said:
Willie Neslon said:
After watching for about 5 minutes my wife asked if the bear was real. :lol:
Click to expand...
I assume she's a good cook.
Click to expand...
If you like canned soups and stuff like that
Click to expand...
Does she know what an aircraft carrier is?
Click to expand...
I'll ask.

Now she's claiming she wasn't asking if the bear was real but if the video was real.
Click to expand...
Green screen and a Henson puppet. IMO

 
I'm guessing this was a mix of predatory and habituated. The bear probably encountered people on the path before and they gave it food, so it was looking for food and when it didn't get any turned more predatory.

 
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