A Canadian man recently had an unexpected bear encounter in his garage, and the footage from his home security cameras has gone viral. Many people applaud the man, Alex Gold, for his calm, effective actions after coming face to face with a black bear. Others say he just got lucky. We think Gold handled the situation well, and he survived to tell the tale.
In the video, Gold turns the corner and a black bear runs at him. The bear was in his garage, and he didn’t see it there. Despite undoubtedly being surprised, Gold holds his ground. He does not run from the animal. He backs away slowly and begins clapping his hands and making noise.
Watch a man handle an unexpected encounter with a black bear in his garage:
The one potential slip-up we see here is when Gold believes the bear is distracted, he reaches for his car keys in his pocket, and the bear lunges at him again. We suppose ideally, Gold would have put some more distance between himself and the bear before going for his keys.
Comments on Gold’s viral video are mixed, and some commenters don’t understand why Gold was clapping. Many others point out that when facing a black bear, the goal is to stand your ground, appear as large as possible, and make noise that makes it clear that you’re not prey. Never run from a bear, no matter what species it is. Always carry bear spray when hiking and camping in bear country.
Best Bear Sprays
Learn more about bear sprays here.
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How would you have handled coming face to face with a black bear in your garage?