A thru-hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) had a bear scare when a large black bear came close to his campsite. And then he ended up performing what he calls “a bear scare” to shoo it away. The thru-hiker, who goes by Philip (philip.jdr) on Instagram, decided to charge at the bear, growling and waving his arms as he did. Thankfully, it worked like a charm.
[RELATED: See the Terrifying Moment a Bear Lunges at Woman Taking Selfie]
Philip was camping at Tuolumne Meadows Campground in Yosemite National Park when the bear came sniffing around. Although the bear has brown fur, it’s a black bear (Ursus americanus). American black bears can have black, brown, or even blonde fur.
Philip’s video caption simply reads: “Bear Scare at Tuolumne Meadows.”
People in the comments section applaud his bear scare.
“Perfect! Keep the bears wild this way and don’t let them think humans are approachable,” wrote one person.
“Well done! This will actually keep bears safe in the long run. My friends and I have been rewilding bears this way in [Olympic National Park] for years. Air horns are great for scaring bears,” wrote another.
Watch a hiker scare off a bear in Yosemite here:
Header stock image by Kyle Kempf/Getty Images
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