Hope this fence wasn’t put up to keep bears out… because it didn’t do a very good job if that’s the case.
There’s only one type of bear that calls the state of Virginia home: the black bear. It’s estimated that the total population sits around 16,000 to 17,000, and thanks to this video, we know that at least one of those black bears is a certified expert at scaling fences.
Bears tend to be pretty nosy creatures, and though they have been known to get violent when provoked (or if their cubs are messed with), they’re usually just interested in having a good time and getting to the bottom of things. And sometimes that means getting into a little trouble, in most cases because they are searching for food.
Interestingly enough, this black bear was climbing a fence near a brewery – the The Farm Brewery at Broad Run to be exact. The establishment in Broad Run, Virginia prides itself in being a family-friend destination, and has everything you could imagine. Beer, corn hole, axe throwing, a playground, bears. You name it, they’ve got it! And yes, you read that right… I said bears.
Obviously, they don’t purposefully gather bears on their property. By the looks of this video, this apex predator was welcoming itself in… through an entrance that not many other living beings would test out. The black bear – which is a species that is famously known for its climbing abilities (strength and curved claws are the perfect pair) – walked right up to a 6-foot-tall fence and didn’t think much about what came next.
It was going to climb the thing.
From what we can tell, there weren’t many other great options (going through it, around it, or under it weren’t gonna happen). So the black bear sized up the fence and got to work… and hilariously looked right at the camera that was pointed at it by a brewery worker standing nearby.
The Farm Brewery at Broad Run guessed that one of its new amenities – a playground – was what encouraged the black bear to make short work of the towering fence. And when I say short work, I really mean it. The fence was no match for the wild animal’s climbing abilities:
“We said the playground was for all ages… we probably should have specified species.”
Not exactly a bear proof fence, I suppose.
Social media users that stumbled upon the video commended the bear’s intelligence, and also cracked a few jokes about hoping that the animal didn’t skip out on paying his brewery tab:
“He didn’t even tear up the fence… I don’t know whether to credit the bear or the guy that built that fence.”
“I guess this makes him smarter than the average bear.”
“That is a lot of weight stress on the fence.”
“Did the bear skip out on his tab?”
“You can’t keep a smart bear out.”
And those are some good points in the comment section… it was a strong bear for sure, and the fence that it climbed was arguably even stronger.
