Runner in Grand Teton NP Shares Video of Being Chased by a Bear
If you're anywhere in Grand Teton National Park, it's a good idea to assume that you're potentially being followed by a bear. That's exactly what happened to a runner in the park recently as he shared video of the encounter.
This brand new video shows someone who does just about everything right in a dangerous situation like this. Here's how we described what went down:
Went for a casual run today in the park and ended up being run at and followed for about half a mile by this hungry little cinnamon black bear who was fresh out of the den. I've seen plenty of bears in the wild, but this was the first time one had shown any interest in me.
He notes that this is a cinnamon black bear. Even though the color is brown, it's important that he knew he was dealing with a black bear as their demeanor is different than a grizzly.
Even though he is a runner, he did not run after he recognized the bear was following him. He gave stern voice signals to make sure the bear knew he was there and discouraging a charge.
The only thing I would have done different is not stop to capture phone video. A couple of times he assumed the bear was about to break the chase. Never assume when it comes to bears. Keep adding distance between yourself and the predator and assume he will continue to follow. If you're car is a quarter mile away like this guy said, make a beeline to that vehicle and don't worry about getting a cool video.
That being said, he did a lot of things right and it's interesting to see a bear probably just out of hibernation getting this close to a human. Thankfully, it all had a happy ending this time.