If you are looking for a quick and easy way to get attacked by a mother bear, just follow in the footsteps of these North Carolina residents.
This video that was taken by a concerned citizen that was standing nearby captured a group of people making quite the dangerous decision. The ill-informed men and women were pulling bear cubs out of a tree that was overhanging a fence, and it was clear that the small animals didn’t want to be disturbed because they clung on to the tree limbs with all of their might.
However, that didn’t stop the group from yanking the cubs off the tree, only to later take selfies with them, which is just a ridiculously absurd and disturbing thing to do. There’s stupid, and then there’s “let’s try and take a selfie with a bear stupid.”
Parts of the clip are truly hard to watch, especially one moment where one of the people drops the bear cub it was holding and baby bruin runs back towards the fence to try and get back over it. Not only was the encounter dangerous for the bear cub, it also could have led to an incredibly deadly situation if the bear’s mother were to return.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission special projects biologist Ashley Hobbs was notified of the incident, and reported to the scene. She had this to say about her disappointment with those seeking to take selfies with the cub:
“We did follow up with the people who pulled the bear out of the tree. We did confront them on site that day and let them know how irresponsible and potentially deadly it could be for that cub to be separated from its mom, especially ripped out of a tree like that.
It is frustrating to see people be that irresponsible around wildlife because it is a blessing that we get to live in the mountains around these creatures.”
One cub was left behind after the event, so the wildlife authorities took it into a nearby rehab facility. Needless to say, this video is the perfect example of what not to do when around wildlife, and North Carolina wildlife officials are hoping this can be an educational moment for those that might not realize how harmful disturbing wild animals can be.
Check it out:
