The Bear That Walked Up To Someone At A Bus Stop In A Viral TikTok Has Been Put Down (VIDEO)
Authorities have some advice. 👇
A bear approaching a person in B.C. Right: A black bear.
Someone in Whistler, B.C., was waiting for the bus when a and started to sniff them. The whole incident was caught on video and posted to TikTok, and has now over five million views.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service told Narcity the bear was put down on July 9, after being involved in multiple similar instances. They said the bear showed signs of "food-conditioned" behaviour and had "minimal fear of people," which made it a public safety risk.
The TikToker who posted the video, Natalie Wannamaker, told Narcity she had just come back from picking up a bag of chips at the store when the bear came a little too close for comfort.
She said the bear actually came from behind the bus stop, so no one saw it approaching.
In the video, you can see the bear come right up to a person sitting on the bus stop bench. They were clearly a bit nervous, and who can blame them? It's not every day you come face-to-face with a bear.
Wannamaker kept her cool, letting the person on the bench know that black bears usually go away when you speak, and to stay "chill," which people in the comments are loving.
"She's too calm for me bro," one person commented.
@nataliesgeo When encountering a black bear your safest option is to be gentle and make noise so it doesn’t feel surprised or threatened 🐻 #wildlife #BC #canada
Wannamaker said she was "definitely surprised," by the encounter, although it's not unusual for her to be seeing bears.
As a professional photographer, she frequents the B.C. wilderness and sees black bears all the time. She admitted they usually don't roll on through town though.
If it was a grizzly bear, she said that "you wouldn’t want to make that kind of noise."
Instead, opt for playing dead if you get near a grizzly.
Wannamaker is taking her TikTok going viral as a chance to spread awareness about litter attracting wildlife to unsafe places.
"Litter may be out of sight out of mind for people but the impact it has on wildlife can be fatal. Bears are drawn to areas they deem as a food source and are likely to return to familiar locations. The bear in the video had likely found food before and come back to the area," she said in a post on Instagram.
In an email to Narcity, the Conservation Officer Service said to never feed wildlife and to "remember to be aware of your surroundings, carry bear spray and travel in groups."
"If you are approached by a [black] bear, stay calm, make yourself large and speak in a firm voice," they said.