Bear sneaks up on oblivious Metro Vancouver parkgoers in viral video
A peaceful day at the park turned into a frightening encounter for two Metro Vancouver park visitors, who appeared to be completely unaware that a bear was slowly approaching them.
A now viral video posted by TikToker bangatosurrey over the weekend shows a black bear approaching parkgoers at Burnaby Mountain Park. At the time of publication, the video had garnered 9.4 million views on TikTok alone.
@bangatosurreyā¬ original sound – Banga To Surrey
While many folks take notice of the bear and quickly begin to clear out of the area, a man and woman remain oblivious to what’s going on around them.
The pair is turned away from the bear, and it appears the man is encapsulated by a book, while the woman is lying down and relaxing.
Meanwhile, their fellow parkgoers are yelling in the background, trying to give them a heads-up about the black bear that is getting a little too close for comfort.
Finally, they take notice and move away (but not before the woman grabs her shoes) just as the bear gets closer to where they were sitting and sniffs around.
The video’s comments have been flooded with people getting a good laugh out of the situation, while others wondered why the park’s other visitors didn’t do more to alert them about what was happening.
“Took 3-5 business days to react,” said one commenter.
“Not the lady leaning closer to the bear to pick up her shoes!! GIRL, LEAVE THE DAMN SHOES!” said another.
“Everyone close by did their individual escape without alerting them, it was actually the people from afar that alerted them,” added one person. “This is a very selfish behaviour and itās peculiar in Western countries.”
Although this video appears to make light of a curious bear, it serves as a reminder that bear safety should be taken seriously.
The province has a list of guidance about what to do if you see a bear. While they may look cute, provincial guidance notes that bears — along with other wild animals you may encounter in B.C. — can be dangerous.
According to the Conservation Officer Service (COS), a trap was set up in the park and a bear was located inside on Thursday afternoon.
“Conservation officers first need to determine whether this is the bear from the video at Burnaby Mountain Park. From there, they will determine next steps,” said the COS in a statement to Daily Hive.Ā
The agency added that the bear in the TikTok video is an example of one that “no longer fears humans and is pursuing non-natural food sources; therefore, it is not a candidate for relocation or rehabilitation.”
The City of Burnaby put out a notice earlier this week that the picnic area at Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area has been temporarily closed due to “higher-than-normal bear activity.”
“While itās closed, we recommend not bringing food to other areas of the park or on the trails to avoid attracting a bear,” stated the City.
If you witness a bear being aggressive or if there is ongoing danger, you should call the B.C. Conservation Service 24-hour hotline at 1-877-952-7277.