Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Bear Meets Nishanto - But Is It Real?
In the past few days since this video hit YouTube it has over 1.5M views. I can't decide if it is real or not. For sure a woman chases a black bear off her porch. Got it. The camera just seems too perfect and the person too close and zooms in and out perfectly. If this was a black bear you had never seen before, would you be that confident in your camera abilities that close to it? Also, the woman chased off the bear in a few seconds. I feel like this is a set up or the bear does this everyday.
Sort of looks he's behind glass, or hidden in his garage? The bear does look a little domesticated. She probably shoos him away regularly. Poor bear. He just wanted some lunch. :(
ReplyDeleteSince bear have been reintroduced so successfully in NJ, my neck of the woods sees this all the time. First of all, there is a grill and a bird feeder on deck. Both of these attract bears. The bear probably has a routine and does visit every day around the same time.
ReplyDeleteLast year a bear was a daily visitor at my friend's pool. It would hop the fence, go for a dip, shake off, and leave in the same direction every day.
I tend to agree. I think the bear is a regular visitor. I think he says something along the lines of "the bear is back again". Looks to me like the bear is acquainted with the family and the poor thing got yelled at for some youtube hits.
ReplyDeleteI see what you mean about the perfect camera, Enty. And if the bear wasn't used to people I don't think the cameraman would have been able to film so carefully and professionally.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, bears can get people figured out pretty quickly when they discover how much food there is around for them.
At any rate, this is a stupid idea - bears aren't pets, bears shouldn't be encouraged onto decks (whether on purpose or lured in by garbage or pet food) and people shouldn't be filming a situation that could lead to more damage down the road.
If this is a "wild" bear, who cheerfully cruises through a garden and onto a deck, his days are numbered - because he's well on his way to being labeled a nuisance bear, and will be destroyed. Sad.
It seems like this is a regular occurrence. Bears love bird feeders and dismantling grills.
ReplyDeleteThat bear is a fatty! I bet he gets fed regularly by humans in this neighborhood. Black bears aren't all that human-aggressive if they don't feel trapped or are with cub. I know I would totally feed this bear because I am a giant child and HE'S SO BIG AND FUZZY!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely hilarious and adorable!
ReplyDeleteI hope it's not a fake but even if it is.. Idk how anyone would train a bear?
I fricken LOVE black bears! They are so sweet and loveable, always looking for a free lunch. I agree with those above who thinks this bear makes the rounds and has been to this yard before. It seems like these people know him (the cameraman calls out "the bear is here" with familiarity).
ReplyDeleteMany of us in So Cal have been following the exploits of "The Glendale Bear," who started showing up in a LaCrescenta neighborhood making the rounds, swimming in pools, eating out of the trash. One time, he got into a garage and eat Costco meatballs out of the fridge. He was tranquilized and relocated 25 miles back into the forest twice, but kept coming back to the same street (Costco meatballs must be tasty). He's finally been put into a sanctuary. Dept of Fish & Game used a McDonalds Happy Meal to finally trap him (along with bacon and honey) before his final ride to the sanctuary in San Diego.
I don't care if the video is real or not. All I want to do is pet the bear bc he looks so soft and squishy cuddly!
ReplyDeletelol @ ya'll that want to pet the bear. The odor that comes off of them is horrible and you wouldn't want to get anywhere near them. I also live in NJ where we have lots of black bears and believe me, cute they may be, but you don't want to cuddle it!
ReplyDeleteDuhhhh, I'd Febreze it first.
Delete@Cindy - maybe we could give it a bath first? :P
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a fake video, its just that that bear probably frequents their neighborhood, just like the same little herd of deer come back again and again to eat my mother's flowers.
ReplyDeleteI think the vid looks weird/odd because maybe (?) a type of video stabilization has been used on the video, after the fact. That would explain the close ups, too, and the odd speed of the video in parts. Also, fyi for those of you who routinely encounter Black bears, while it's obvious that you should always fight off a predatory/stalking "I'm here to eat you" attack, not everyone knows that ALL Black bear attacks (surprise, defense, whatever) should be fought: playing dead, or rolling up in a ball and trying to protect the back of your head/neck doesn't work with them. Apparently, they usually just keep attacking.
ReplyDeleteI know you're supposed to act differently with bears depending on the situation. If you are walking in the woods, and you come across a bear and startle it, and it attacks you - play dead.
ReplyDeleteBut if you are walking in the woods and notice that a bear has been stalking you for a while, you yell at it, try to look as big and tall as possible, wave your arms, try to scare it.
Personally, I would probably just shit my pants and cry in both cases.
That's what I'm saying about Black bears, Maja. In your first scenario, even if you startle it and it attacks you (with no prior predation involved), you are strongly advised to fight. Playing dead doesn't work with Black bears :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for that bit of advice @thomas but I hope I never have to use it!
DeleteI assumed this was a fairly regular thing, but I still enjoyed the video. For one thing, that backyard is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDept of Fish & Game used a McDonalds Happy Meal to finally trap him (along with bacon and honey) before his final ride to the sanctuary in San Diego.
ReplyDelete@Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors: Bacon, huh? I bet if we added a scotch and soda we could probably capture the elusive North American Enty.
My tiny cousin (under 5') constantly shoos away bears in her backyard just 30 minutes north of the Twin Cities. They come to eat from her bird feeders and hanging flowers. A broom and a loud voice usually does it!
ReplyDelete@GemTwist and Maja: That was funny.
ReplyDeleteI think due to the amazing camera work that this was staged.
Anyone remember the viral video with the boys who supposedly had spilled flour everywhere? That one went away quickly.
I think it's real. They must have learned the best way to get rid of him is to yell at him. I kind of feel sorry for the bear the way he sheepishly leaves the deck after getting scolded,
ReplyDeleteLol @ maja! I think I would shit my pants if Nishanto yelled at me like that.
Yes, Thomas is correct. Playing dead with a black bear means you get eaten. Apparently with brown bears, playing dead is okay.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would never do it. I would stand my ground and act aggressively towards the bear. Screaming, arms moving, stomping....
My Dad is in a rural area with a lot of bears. No issues yet, thank goodness.
...and that is why I don't go camping.
ReplyDeleteYep! No camping for me either Maja! I think the two legged animals in the city are easier to handle. I don't think faced with a real bear that I will remember which color is ok to play dead and which one to fight off.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this lady is educated about/used to bears. Black bears get shot for things like that, and it's unnecessary. A black bear is a docile creature who wants a free lunch. If the lunch comes with hassle, it doesn't want it and will run off. Yelling and stomping and waving hands makes the black bear decide to go elsewhere where the meal may be easier. They are RARELY a threat.
ReplyDeleteThe bear looks fat because it's in its bulking up phase for the winter "sleep."
Check out
North American Bear Center NABC bear.org
If you click on the user name, there are multiple videos of the same bear.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3B_9b_88SH2n8QKXX9Gbxg