A mother black bear was filmed chasing tourists in Yellowstone National Park. Apparently, she became agitated when the tourists got too close to her and her cubs, and she shifted into protective mother mode.
The video shows the bear charging into a group of people who began to flee and scatter. While some tourists tried their best to keep walking calmly, others ran away and went for the safety of their cars.
Yet, even as mama bear got too close for comfort, sending the message that she didn't want any of the tourists near her cubs, some of them remained nearby, taking pictures of the black bears, as can be seen in the footage taken by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).
"The most dangerous place is between a mom and her cubs," said Bob Gibson, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks communication and education program manager. The tourists, he added, were "very much in danger," USA Today reports.
According to Gibson, if the cubs were but a few months younger, the mother bear could have shown more hostility toward their viewers. But because they were about 13 months old, she was not as fiercely protective of them as she might have been, Huffington Post reports.
To ensure safety for the tourists, the National Park Service has imposed several rules for viewing bears. These include keeping a distance of at least 300 feet between them and the bears, staying inside their cars when they spot a bear, not approaching them in any circumstance, and backing away slowly during surprise encounters.
The tourists in the video clearly failed to follow these rules. Fortunately, no tourist was hurt in the encounter and the bears made it back to the forest.
The Montana FWP said through its Facebook page that what happened "serves as a reminder that wildlife can be unpredictable."
The agency reminded tourists to respect wildlife and to allow them space to roam about by viewing them from recommended observation spots.
