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A chilling encounter in the Angeles National Forest has surfaced on video, depicting a hiker’s unnerving face-off with a large brown bear. The footage reveals a man, clad in hiking attire and a hat, making the unusual choice to approach the bear rather than retreat from it.
In a surprising twist, the man attempts to deter the bear by shaking bells, a common method intended to spook wildlife. However, the tactic seems to backfire as the visibly agitated bear charges at him. The video, which abruptly ends as tension peaks, was captured by a fellow hiker in the vicinity.
“I thought this guy must be out of his mind, and I just hoped he wouldn’t get hurt,” said Erin Chiu, who filmed the encounter, in an interview with NBCLA.
Chiu voiced her bewilderment at the man’s decision, noting, “Honestly, I’m not sure what he was thinking, because the last thing you’d expect is someone to actually move toward a bear. I was pretty worried for his safety at that moment.”
“I’m not sure what was going through his mind, to be honest, because the last thing you would expect is for someone to actually walk toward a bear. At that point, I was a little concerned for his safety.”
Chiu told the network he hikes the same trail at least three times a week for about 10 miles each time and had never seen a bear there until now.
He said he and his friends hiked up the trail and hid behind bushes to let the animal pass, avoiding any confrontation.
The hiker was eventually able to slowly back away as the bear moved toward him. Experts say the most important thing to remember if you encounter a bear is simple: do not run.
According to the National Park Service, running can trigger a chase response, as bears can easily outrun humans.
Instead, people should remain calm, stand their ground, and speak in a low voice so the animal recognizes them as human, as most encounters end without injury when the bear does not feel threatened.
Bear sightings have become increasingly common in Los Angeles County, particularly in foothill communities like Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Castaic, and Arcadia.
This encounter occurred in Arcadia, in Los Angeles County.
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