A Canadian man deftly navigated an “unexpected,” “face-to-face” encounter with a black bear.
On Sept. 19, Alex Goldshared footage on Instagramof his “unforgettable experience” with a black bear at his home in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
“I had an unexpected bear encounter yesterday. When I returned to the garage I bumped into the bear literally face to face. I’ve met bears before but never as close as it was this time,” Gold captioned the shocking clip.
In the video, Gold walks into his garage from outside the house. The garage door is open to allow a car parked in the driveway to charge.
Alex Gold has an unexpected encounter with a black bear in his garage in Coquitlam, British Columbia.Alex Gold via Storyful
Alex Gold via Storyful
In response to the bear’s charge, Gold backs up, raises his arms in the air, and repeatedly shouts, “No!”
In Gold’s bear encounter video, after the man slowly makes space between him and the bear, he enters his car. As Gold gets into his vehicle, a bear cub scampers into the frame outside the garage and in front of the car.
Alex Gold during a surprise black bear encounter.Alex Gold via Storyful
Gold honks the vehicle’s horn several times to encourage the two bears to move along. After a few beeps, both bears run away from the garage and Gold’s home.
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Steve Searles, a self-taught bear expert and the subject of Animal Planet’s reality showThe Bear Whisperer,told PEOPLE that anyone who comes across a bear should make “a loud noise” and keep their “hands above their heads” — similar to Gold’s approach.
Searles, coauthor ofWhat the Bears Know, also advised that people should never run from a bear encounter.
“It can make them want to chase you and pursue you,” Searles said.
source: people.com