Just about everybody on this planet knows that you should keep your distance if you ever see a bear, because the creatures have the ability to rip you to shreds if they feel threatened enough…
And notice how I said “just about everybody.”
There is still a small percentage of people out there who are fully convinced that bears are as friendly as Winnie The Pooh, and will just walk right up to them and dance or something.
And typically when people have this mindset, and they’ve been drinking by the lake all day, it doesn’t end great, just like it almost did in this video.
This one all went down on Lake Harmony in Pennsylvania, where it appears that a handful of people were celebrating Labor Day by the lake. Grilling, drinking, boating… all your usual Labor Day activities.
But then, a ol’ black bear shows up to the cook out… and ol’ Mike is ready to be the hero.
Now I don’t know for certain, but it appears that Mike in the “Lake Life Vibes” tank top has had himself a few too many.
Mike begins to walk behind the bear, trying to corral it towards the exit. It appears at first that the bear is fully cooperating, but once the guy gets to the fence and opens the gate, the big ol’ bear sits down and looks Mike dead in the eyes. The bear has a certain “who do you think you are, Mike?” attitude, and it becomes clear in an instant that Mike just f*cked around, and now, he’s about to find out.
The bear proceeds to lash at Mike with its paw, catching the guy on his side of his ribs. Mike then proceeds to scold the bear, as if it isn’t capable of a hell of a lot worse. Lucky for Mike, the bear had made its point and was content to mosey on out of there, without further incident.
After the bear leaves, he lifts his shirt up and shows two large scratch marks that the bear left…. not deep, not bleeding, but it definitely won’t feel good in the morning.
Hey, the good news is that he lived to tell the tale, and he has the video (and the scratch marks) to prove it.
And look, I know the whole “if it’s black fight back, if it’s brown lay down” thing, but nowhere in any bear aware safety course are you told to try and politely escort the bear off the premises. Yell at it, get big and loud, use your numbers… but don’t try and chase it away.
Don’t be like Mike, people…
