An elderly man had what has been labeled a “close call” with a black bear, although he wasn’t initially aware of the fact that a bear was following him as he shuffled down the sidewalk. Not until it was pointed out to him.
The video of the man, the bear, and the bystanders pointing out that he’s being followed was posted on Instagram by Quail guy. It has more than 35 million views and when you see how close the bear is to the man you understand why.
Stock image of a black bear on the side of the road. (Getty Images)
The man, reportedly in British Columbia, is shuffling along on a sidewalk holding a bag minding his own business. He walks by a black bear seemingly not even noticing that it’s just feet from him.
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Bystanders across the street try to warn him that the rather large bear is behind him and appears to be following him. After he realizes what they’re saying, the man turns and looks at the bear, then picks up the pace as he continues walking.
And by picking up the pace, I mean he goes from almost standing still to actually standing still before taking off, probably as fast as he can shuffle his feet.
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The concerned group of bystanders did what they set out to do. They warned the man. They were loud enough to get the bear to turn around, and they didn’t step foot off of the sidewalk from across the street.
Another potential disaster avoided. The old man presumably made it the rest of the way home without unknowingly wandering into another close call with nature or anything else.
Stock image of man with a camera and a black bear. (Getty Images)
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Just as important was someone documenting it all on video. You hope for the best in that type of situation, but if it does go sideways, you have some game film to study and learn from.