Spray Does the Trick for Photographer Pursued by Bear
Nature photographer Curtis Matwishyn had a close encounter with a persistent black bear at Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan, with some bear spray proving essential in ensuring a happy outcome for both of them.
Matwishyn filmed as he backed away, his attempts to deter the bear unheeded as the animal continued its pursuit.
“Normally I’m used to black bears running away when they’re aware of a person but this bear was behaving oddly,” Matwishyn told Storyful. “Thankfully the bear spray worked as designed and the bear ran away.”
“Always carry bear spray when you’re in their territory and to never feed wildlife,” Matwishyn wrote on Instagram. “Hopefully this beautiful young bear will learn to stay away from humans and … people will learn to be more responsible in both not feeding wildlife and carrying bear spray so they are ready to respond to a bear like this.” Credit: Curtis Matwishyn via Storyful
Video Transcript
CURTIS MATWISHYN: Hey, bear. It's OK. Hey, bear. It's OK. Little bear.
Hey, bear. Hey, get out of here. I'm leaving. Hey, bear. It's OK.
Hey, bear. Little bear. Hey. Hey. It's OK.
Yeah, get up there. Get up there. Hey, bear. Woah, bear. Hey, hey, good bear.
That's a good bear. You stay up there. Hey, bear. Hey. Hey, bear.
Good bear. Good bear. Yeah, good bear. Stay back. Hey.
Hey. There you go. Good bear. Good bear. Good bear. Whoo.
