The perfect way to handle a near disaster.
Of all the apex predators on planet Earth, the most intimidating just might be the grizzly bear. The subspecies of brown bears are commonly found in the northwest areas of the United States, Canada and America’s northern-most state: Alaska. The video below is from The Last Frontier state, and was captured by a skilled wildlife photographer by the name Brooke Bartleson.
Now before we get too far, I want to point out that you (the reader) should do all you can to avoid getting close to bears. The National Park Service advises tourists to stay 25 yards away from animals that are deemed “non-violent,” like bison, elk, and other creatures that tend to be relatively docile. When it comes to bears, wolves, and other apex predators, the NPS warns park goers to keep a football-field-distance between them and the animals.
Granted, sometimes you don’t have much of a choice (like in this footage that we’re getting to), especially if you live and work among them. But wild animals do wild animal things, so there are times where you can do all you can to avoid getting in the middle of a bear’s business, and yet still end up experiencing a very close call.
In this case, the wildlife photographer was… out in the Alaskan wilderness when she got in the middle of a brown bear chase down. A female bear was running away from a sizable bear, and Brooke Bartleson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The sow first came sprinting by, and the male was running very close behind. When the bear saw the photographer, his aggression and attention shifted towards the woman standing still on the trail.
At a moment’s notice, the photographer had to rely on her fight-or-flight response. Being aware of what not to do in this situation, Bartleson responded by being the aggressor. She shared the terrifying, heart-pounding video, and also explained why she did what she did in this situation:
“When an unhappy bear is charging toward you, it’s important to act properly. Stand your ground. Do not run or back off. Be ready to defend yourself. Get big and loud, in this case it managed to break the charge. This male bear was annoyed that his mate was getting away from him.
She ran right past me, which unfortunately brought him straight toward me too. His misplaced aggression was directed at me. As he charged, I stepped forward and yelled out. It broke the charge and he moved on. Heart pounding for sure.”
Sheesh… let’s just hope none of us ever end up in a situation like this, eh?
Bartleson is completely right though. If you find yourself standing feet away from an angry bear, without any bear spray, your best bet is to “get big.” Stand tall with your arms way above your head, and speak loudly in the lowest voice possible. The brown bear in the video above was startled just by the photographer taking a step towards him and shouting, “Hey!”
In the imperfect circumstance, that was the perfect response by the Brooke Bartleson. If you love bears, give her a follow… she’s got some awesome work:
