Video: Watch as a dad politely asks a bear to leave the family BBQ

Eva Terry
·2 min read
A brown bear catches a salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park in Alaska.
A brown bear catches a salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park in Alaska. | Tahitia Hicks, explore.org via Associated Press

Pennsylvania is home to over 18,000 bears, according to the Pennsylvania Game Institute. One of those 18,000 met his match over Labor Day weekend through a dad named Mike.

The video has been posted and reposted to various social media platforms, getting 12 million views on Facebook. In a longer version from TikTok, Mike confidently leads the bear through his campout setup. The camera includes several other people seeming very wary of the situation.

Mike pulls open the little wire gate leading to the street, and points at the bear to leave. Instead of obeying Mike, however, the bear sits down in front of him and gives him a little smack. Mike reprimands him and points again to the street. The bear looks around and seems to realize no one wants him at the party any more. He gets up, sheepishly walks out, and Mike slams the gate shut.

Mike approaches the camera grinning and lifts up his “Lake Life Vibes” tank top to reveal several claw marks.

While Mike was OK after this bear encounter, there are better and safer ways to interact with bears.

If you find yourself in a last resort type of situation, and the bear is already in your space, Popular Science says that “making loud noises will be enough to scare away a black bear. Jump up and down, wave your arms, and yell or make noise with pots and pans, airhorns, or whistles. If that doesn’t work, throw small rocks at the bear as you shout. This is unlikely to seriously harm the bear, but it will be enough to make it uncomfortable and send the message that it is not welcome.”