Video and clip by Alex Gold / @xandr_bc
The viral video of a surprise black bear encounter shows the correct response to such an encounter.
The encounter was caught on the security cameras of Coquitlam, BC resident Alex Gold, which was then uploaded to his Instagram account. The video shows the black bear and Gold surprising each other when Gold enters the open garage from outside. The bear is likely frightened, feeling trapped and her body language is her way of telling Gold to give her space.
Gold correctly uses a calm tone, telling the bear “no” several times, claps his hands, and slowly backs out of the bear’s way – creating space for both himself and the bear. Space was also created by Gold moving around his car and activiating the vehicle’s alarm. Around this time, a small black bear – potentially a cub – appears in the frame; this indicates the bear in the garage was likely anxious to reconnect with her young one, and not interested in Gold.
“This is a great example of how to respond to appropriately to a black bear encounter”, says Lesley Fox, Executive Director for The Fur-Bearers. “Just like us, wild animals need their space and don’t always like surprises. Gold took the right steps to help manage the situation by staying calm, making noise and backing out of the way, which created space for the black bear to move on.”
Photo by Donna Feledichuk / Getty Images
September: a vulnerable time for black bears
The video is making viral rounds at one of the most vulnerable times of the year for BC’s black bears. An average 500 black bears are killed by the BC Conservation Officer Service (BC COS) annually, often because they’ve been seen accessing anthropogenic (human) food sources, like garbage cans, bird feeders, outdoor pet food, and other attractants. Beginning in late summer, bears enter a state called hyperphagia, wherein they eat excessively to build fat reserves for the winter.
During this period, bears consume over 20,000 calories a day. They are focusing all their time and energy on accessing food and eating. Their primary interests are nut and fruit trees until the salmon start arriving along the British Columbia coast, though in some areas, salmon are already present. If natural food sources are scarce, bears may turn to the anthropogenic food sources above.
You can help prevent surprise encounters with black bears by keeping doors (including garage doors) and windows closed, and securing garbage and other attractants (click here for a full list).
The Fur-Bearers offers FREE educational door hangers featuring black bear coexistence messaging that you can distribute in your community to help improve the lives of bears and other wildlife. Click here to learn more and order yours today!
