Bear scares joggers into retreat (Video)

Two men jogging on the Matcheetawin Discovery Trails outside Fort McMurray, Alta., earlier this month had their workout cut short when a black bear started following them.

Bruce Allan, who uploaded video of the encounter on YouTube, was running with a companion on the evening of June 5, but with less than a few hundred metres left to go they noticed the full-grown bear tagging along.

“We’ve got nothing for you. We have nothing,” one man says to the bear as it strafes them from left to right.

“Back! Stay!” shouts the runner with the camera as the bear comes right up to him. “That’s as far as you’re going! Stop!”

But the bear keeps coming toward the two men who keep walking back in retreat — a move that, according to expert advice about black bear encounters, is the wrong thing to do.

According to WikiHows advice on how to get away from bears, if you encounter a black bear your best hope is to stand your ground and fight back in the hope of scaring the bear away.

If you’re in a group, you should stand together and look as big and scary as possible, which one of the men suggests.

“Get us together, we’ll look bigger together,” one man says with huffed breath — a suggestion shot down by the other.

“We can’t. We can’t man,” says the other, making the wrong choice as they pair continue their hasty retreat.

“Look around for a rock…if he hits I’m gonna hit him in the head,” says one of the joggers says as bear calmly continues to advance.

This suggestion is made on numerous North American mountaineering and hiking sites regarding black bears which also include standing your ground, making as much noise as possible or hitting the bear with rocks and other objects if you need to.

In the end the curious bear tires of the joggers and returns to the woods to climb a tree and the joggers run — sprint — back to their car.

Agencies/Canadajournal