A shocking video posted to Reddit shows what can happen when humans instigate dangerous interactions with wild bears. And the footage has people talking about the sad realities of people interacting with wildlife.
The 14-second video appears to be filmed as several cars are pulled to the side of the road near a wooded area. While pulled over, an SUV driver reaches their hand out of the car window to try to feed a nearby wild bear. At least three other spectators can be seen standing outside their vehicles, mere feet away from the bear.
While going for the offered food, the bear grabs the driver's outstretched hand, causing the driver to pull their arm back into the car. The SUV driver then jerks the SUV forward in a panic, almost hitting one of the bystanders, before driving off. The bear runs off, appearing to go back into the woods.
"What part of WILD ANIMAL do people not get?" the Reddit poster captioned the video.
Viewers were also critical of the heart-pumping interaction, saying those in the video acted irresponsibly and unethically — and would likely cause the bear to be euthanized by wildlife officials.
"Now you've normalized that the bear thinks humans will give it food, meaning it will continue going up to people leaving two outcomes," a commenter wrote in response to the video. "One, the bear mauls someone/multiple people and is then euthanized. Two, the bear just gets euthanized because it's already shown aggressive behavior toward a person. So great job to this person for nearly getting themselves hurt and practically guaranteeing that the bear is killed."
Another commenter simply added, "A fed bear is a dead bear. Stop this, you are hurting them."
The clip highlights how people can create dangerous situations when interacting with wildlife. There have been multiple instances of people getting too comfortable with wildlife, which can create dangerous situations for both humans and animals.
Human interference can lead to wild animals being euthanized, especially if a person is injured in the interaction. If you have the privilege of seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, you have the responsibility to follow safety instructions.
"We need the help of the public to keep bears wild and people safe," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service writes on their Bear Safety page. "Approaching, disturbing, feeding, or unethically viewing grizzly bears is likely to have negative and dangerous outcomes for both bears and people."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends staying at least 100 yards away from a wild bear, which is about the length of a football field. The service also advises to never feed or make food accessible to wild bears.
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