black bear – Syndication Server

Watch: ‘Beautiful’ sight as bears pass beneath skiers on chairlift

Skier who captured the footage says the sighting at Heavenly Resort helped “solidify this place as most beautiful.”

Last week we shared footage showing a black bear sprinting across a ski lift at Heavenly Mountain Resort and nearly colliding with the skier who captured the footage.

On what appears to have been the same day, last Sunday, a different Heavenly skier captured the accompanying footage showing a momma bear and two cubs passing beneath a chairlift.

Nolan Brown stated via Instagram:

“Been skiing Heavenly my whole life, never seen anything like this. From the family of bears and the fog covered lake to the sun peaking over the mountain on first chair, it solidifies this place as most beautiful.”

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A post shared by Nolan Brown (@nolannbrown)

Heavenly is in South Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada region boasts a large black bear population, but most of the bruins have denned up for the winter by early December.

Watch: Bear charging across snow nearly collides with skier

A skier at Heavenly Resort in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday captured footage of his near-collision with a large black bear that charged in front of him as he descended the slope.

The accompanying footage originally appeared on TikTok via the user, @Tao7570, who shared the clip with ABC 10 News.

The user also shared the footage as a Facebook reel with the description: “Almost hit a bear skiing down Ridgerun [at] Heavenly. Didn’t realize it was a bear until it was too close.”

As viewers can see, the bear is intent on crossing the ski run and has to navigate through downhill skiers and snowboarders. The bear almost collides with the TikTok user, who keeps his camera phone trained on the fleeing bruin.

At no point did the bear act menacingly toward the skiers as it bounded toward and into the wilderness.

Although South Lake Tahoe is famous for its black bear population, most of the animals have denned up for the winter.

Watch: Bear devours food on table inches from calm picnickers

A picnic table was taken over by a black bear while picnickers remained still. They were helpless to do anything to save their food.

A picnic table in Mexico was taken over by a hungry black bear while a mother, shielding her frightened son, and a friend remained calm, as they were helpless to do anything to save their food.

Silvia Macias was with a family friend celebrating her son’s 15th birthday with a picnic of tacos and enchiladas at Chipinque, a park in San Pedro Garza Garcia on the outskirts of Monterrey, when the close encounter occurred, according to the Associated Press and PetHelpful.

When the bear hopped onto the table, Macias covered the eyes of her son, held him close and remained frozen in place, as did the friend, while another friend, Angela Chapa, videotaped the close encounter.

The video was posted to TikTok and Instagram on Tuesday.

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A post shared by EarthPix 🌎 Travel (@earthpix)

Eventually, the well-fed bear got down from the table and moved on, as can be seen in the TikTok version.

“Macias explained to PetHelpful that she is a midwife and a yoga instructor, which probably explains why she was able to stay so calm in this situation,” PetHelpful wrote.

Macias told Associated Press she was concerned that her son “might get scared, adding, “Santiago is very afraid of animals, a cat or dog, any animal scares him a lot. That’s why I covered his eyes, because I didn’t want him to see it and scream or run. I was afraid that if he got scared or screamed or scared the bear, that the bear would react.”

TikTok commenters praised the mother’s ability to remain so calm in a stressful and scary situation. Among the comments:

“My lord. You handled this so calmly. How?!”

“Mama you are so brave. You did great!”

“Brave, brave, momma.”

“Aw, the way mama pulled him back slowly when it came close. They were so brave. Such a scary moment.”

Macias told PetHelpful that her son hasn’t been able to view the video because he found the situation too scary. In should be said that the birthday tacos were replaced and all ended well.

Meanwhile, Macias dismissed any hero talk, telling AP, “I just think I’m a mother who protected her cub.”

Closest thing to a black bear vs. grizzly fight unfolds at Yellowstone

A black bear was enjoying a bison meal in Yellowstone when a grizzly bear happened upon the scene. It ended with an unexpected result.

A black bear was enjoying a meal of bison along a river in Yellowstone National Park recently when a grizzly bear happened upon the scene.

In most cases, the usual response would be for the black bear to flee and avoid a confrontation with the fiercer grizzly. But that’s not what unfolded before Ron Sterbenz as he videotaped the encounter.

Instead, the black bear ran the grizzly off. Sterbenz told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors that he might never capture an actual fight between a black bear and a grizzly, “but this was super close to it.”

Sterbenz, who regularly posts wildlife videos on his YouTube Yellowstone Video channel, described the encounter to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors:

“From time to time you see black bears avoid grizzlies by giving them some space or they take the other side of a pond, lake or meadow but have never seen black bear head straight towards a grizzly without sizing up the situation or challenge first. I had never seen black bear go head first into a possible confrontation. Size wise this is by far one of the largest male black bears I have seen and while the grizzly might be young he is still a pretty sizable bear.

“While recording I thought what I saw was black bear versus grizzly but wasn’t completely sure until I starting working on the video. Toward the end the grizzly starts urinating which I assume is scent marking and trying to show dominance, but I am not really sure what it meant and never saw a bear do that before. Some folks think bears are quick to conflict in the form of fight, but you can see that neither really wanted to risk that. Not sure if I will ever capture a full on black bear versus grizzly fight out there, but this was super close to it.

“A couple other things I took away from this event was that black bears are not nearly as passive as people sometimes think and in this case charged a grizzly not once but a few times. The other thing was how the grizzly really tested the other bear and backdown after bluff charges that failed. Might be a good thing to remember when confronted, as long as there isn’t a carcass between you and the bear. Personally, I prefer to watch from a safe distance and never find out.”

Watch: Man and pet Yorkie face down intruding black bear

Video footage captured recently in Pace, Fla., shows a man and his pet Yorkie attempting to scare off a black bear that had climbed onto a fence and threatened to enter the yard.

Video footage captured recently in Pace, Fla., shows a man and his Yorkie attempting to scare off a black bear that had climbed onto a fence and threatened to enter the yard.

The thickset man is shown calling Max, the Yorkie, away from the fence. But Max remains at the base of the fence and continues to bark.

At one point the bear swipes its paw toward Max, causing him and man to temporarily back away.

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A post shared by ViralHog (@viralhog)

But the man continues to call his dog and clap loudly – a technique sometimes used by specialists to persuade bears to leave populated areas – and ultimately the bear climbs down the tree opposite the fence and disappears.

Was the man brave or foolish to remain so close to the bear, perhaps emboldening Max to do the same? Or did he handle the situation admirably?

Reads one of the more popular comments below the Viralhog Instagram post:

“That guy looks like he could take the bear on.”

Colorado sheepherder hospitalized after bear attack

A Colorado sheepherder is recovering from a bear attack that left him with bite wounds to the head and multiple lacerations and scratches.

The Tuesday incident, at about 1 a.m. in the Weminuche Wilderness northeast of Durango, marked the state’s first bear attack this year.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the 35-year-old man reported waking to sounds of a black bear interacting with sheep.

He fired a rifle at the bear moments before it charged. After the attack, the man crawled into his tent and contacted his cousin, asking for help.

The man was airlifted to Mercy Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Grand Junction for surgery.

ALSO: ‘Dominant’ brown bears brawl over fishing rights at Brooks Falls, Alaska

Colorado Parks and Wildlife collected DNA samples from the victim and at the scene near the Burnt Timber Trail. Officers found the man’s rifle and two dead sheep near a trail of blood.

CPW, with help from the Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, initiated a search and located what they believed to be the offending bear.

An APHIS officer shot and killed the animal.

CPW stated in a news release: “Because the bear made contact with a human, it is classified under CPW policy as an attack and the agency’s policy is to euthanize the bear.”

CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta added: “This is a difficult part of the job. But when it comes to injuries to humans as a result of a predator attack, human health and safety is our top priority.”

The bear, an adult male weighing about 250 pounds, had sustained chest wounds but CPW had not determined whether they were from the victim’s rifle.

The bear’s stomach contents contained sheep wool but Archuleta said, “Until we get results back from the lab regarding DNA testing, we can’t 100% confirm that this is the offending bear. But based on the information we have at this point, we feel confident that it is the offending bear.”

–Generic black bear image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Watch: ‘Ninja Bear’ surprises photographer out of nowhere in Yellowstone

A wildlife photographer in Yellowstone National Park was putting his video equipment away when a bear suddenly appeared 10 feet away.

A wildlife photographer who is a regular in Yellowstone National Park was putting his equipment away in his vehicle when a black bear appeared out of nowhere—and only 10 feet away.

It wasn’t until much later—when looking for footage of a beaver—that Ron Sterbenz realized his camera was still rolling during the encounter, and that he had caught the black bear on video.

“We quickly moved away to give the bear space,” he wrote on the video. “No idea where this Ninja Bear came from.”

Sterbenz and three friends were walking back from the Yellowstone River Bridge where they had been looking for wolf activity. They didn’t see any wolves but spotted a lone black bear far below them, under the bridge.

“After I got back to my car while putting my equipment in the back, I found a black bear standing next to me at about the same time,” Sterbenz explained to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “My camera just happened to be pointing in that direction and I had captured the bear standing there watching me about 10 feet away.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Fisherman lands world-record-size catfish that stretches over 9 feet

“This is the closest I have been to a bear and just looking right and seeing one (or anything) that close,” Sterbenz told For The Win Outdoors. “It does get your heart racing. I did feel a little relieved that he found the camera and tripod more interesting than me. We were both clearly startled.

“We joke that black bears can move like Ninjas and be on you or by you without being detected. Black bears seem to be the forest’s stealth operators.”

Momma bear persuades cubs to scale wall in adorable footage

A Colorado Springs motorist has captured footage showing three bear cubs trying to scale a rock wall in order to join momma bear.

In the KKTV 11 News footage, captured by Jeremy Johnson, momma black bear has already scaled the wall and is encouraging her cubs to follow.

But the roadside wall is steep and the tiny cubs are new at climbing.

Momma bear seems to realizes this, and is about to descend the wall when one cub safely scrambles up and over.

This seems to inspire the other cubs, one of which follows the route taken by the first cub.

Rooting them on, Johnson says in the video, “Come on little guys, you can do it. Climb! Climb!”

Mission accomplished, the bear family continues its adventure safely off the road, albeit in somebody’s yard.

Reads the top comment beneath the KKTV 11 post:

“So smart. That second one saw where the first one went and moved there. This is so cute. Nothing like life in the Springs.”

Another popular comment: “Awww… such a good lesson here too… Sometimes we gotta let them figure it out.”

Nonresident Idaho hunter kills protected grizzly bear

A nonresident Idaho hunter is at the center of an investigation after he shot and killed a protected grizzly bear that he mistook for a black bear.

The incident occurred June 8 north of Upper Priest Lake in the Panhandle Region.

According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the hunter reported his error soon after inspecting his kill and identifying the bear as a grizzly.

The hunter is said to be cooperating with the investigation.

Grizzly bears are protected under state and federal law. Hunters are responsible for knowing the difference between grizzly bears and black bears. (See the accompanying chart.)

ALSO: Rare footage shows massive python navigating Kenya stream

On May 1 near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, a hunter killed a grizzly bear in another apparent case of mistaken identity.

Patrick M. Gogerty, 65, of Cody, Wyo., left the bear carcass alongside the North Fork Highway. Images of the carcass went viral before Gogerty turned himself in the next morning.

He was was charged with killing a protected grizzly bear without a proper license and faces up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine (plus restitution).

Cyclist sustains serious injuries after crashing into black bear

A Canadian man cycling down a paved trailway in Vancouver suffered injuries when he T-boned a black bear and went flying through the air.

A Canadian man cycling down a paved trailway in Vancouver suffered serious injuries when he T-boned a black bear and went flying through the air.

Kevin Milner was riding in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve around 8:30 on Tuesday night when the rounded a corner and saw the bear, as reported by North Shore News.

Milner told CBC News he had “a split-second decision to either slam on the brakes and stop right next to him or I could just keep riding a second or two and I’ve already passed him.”

Unfortunately, he and the bear decided to go the same direction.

“The second I made that decision [to ride around the bear], he decided to run and he ran right across the road, right in front of me and I smashed into him right behind his shoulder blade,” Milner told North Shore News. “I did a flip over him. I pretty much kissed the bear and then I guess I flew through the air.”

Milner, who landed on his side, suffered a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion, bruised ribs, road rash and numbness.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Safari guide attacked by crocodile makes life-saving escape

Other cyclists happened by to help. Two young women rode to where there was cell service to call 911 while a man stayed with Milner.

After 15 minutes, the bear returned.

“Man, those bears are built like a truck,” Milner told North Shore News. “I thought I was going to die.”

The man attempted to scare the bear off, but it “was kind of looking at me, really curious, kind of like, ‘What’s up with you?’” Milner said. “Then the bear just started eating grass. He pretty much just carried on with his day.”

Spitting up blood and unable to walk or even lift his leg, Milner persuaded the bystander to borrow his e-bike, and he rode himself to the forest entrance, where paramedics met him and took him to Lions Gate Hospital.

“The reason I rode in the demonstration forest is just to get away from the traffic, right?” he told North Shore News. “But after hitting the bear, I mean, it’s probably safer just riding with cars.”

Generic photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.