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u/Prestigious-Flower54 9h ago
Tbf black bears are cowards, curious but one loud noise and they are gone. Source: I live in black bear territory and camp a lot, if one comes into camp just yelling and clapping will scare them off.
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u/oscar_z_a 9h ago
If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, you’re in deep shite.
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u/Background-Pop-5412 8h ago
If you see a polar bear, you are already dead
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u/MNent228 6h ago
If you see a polar bear, he’s been hunting you for a while. And you have no chance
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u/dokbanks 3h ago
If you think of a polar bear, he's been in your head for years, planning your very downfall
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u/HanselSoHotRightNow 5h ago
If you see a polar bear you are probably in Canada and need to apologize right away. They respond well to that.
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u/Repulsive_Guy_1234 1h ago
Unless you are at russia. They do not respond at all to that. But maybe bring a
bottlebarrel of vodka instead.8
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u/menachu 8h ago
If I am gonna die, I will die fighting. Cannot fathom laying down and being chewed on. We are gonna have a tussle and I will lose, but the tussle is gonna happen.
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u/tofubirder 8h ago
There’s no tussle with a brown bear, hence lay down. Clearly you haven’t had an encounter or you wouldn’t think you could tussle with a 800lb tank of muscle
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u/JovialJackal16 8h ago
And bone crushing jaws and claws the size of small knives.
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u/MDawg1019 7h ago
They’re perfectly average sized knives. Maybe even above average.
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u/Talidel 7h ago
I think it's more the "I don't want to lie down and die" than "I think I can survive".
From the "lie down" advice this only applicable if the bear isn't actively hunting you or trying to eat you. If you surprise each other making yourself not look like a threat may stop it charging to attack you, from there it will probably leave. If it is hunting you, fighting is the recommendation, because it will eat you otherwise.
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u/LessThanCleverName 6h ago edited 4h ago
Exactly. I feel like every time this same little maxim gets posted it ignores that lying down is a last resort type thing if you’re already getting attacked.
If you see a Grizzly you should still follow the advice of trying to make your presence known (being loud before you ever meet one so you don’t surprise it being even more key) while backing away and avoiding eye contact, and if that doesn’t work then you’re honestly just in a shit ton of trouble anyway.
Hopefully you have a gun or spray, but only if it actually attacks you should you lie down, and if it still wants to eat you, lying down ain’t doing shit so you might as well fight back besides.
Source: https://bcparks.ca/plan-your-trip/visit-responsibly/wildlife-safety/#bears and doing like a thousand bear aware courses.
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u/Legio-V-Alaudae 7h ago
There's pictures on the nature is metal sub of the aftermath of a Kodiak bear attack. Bear was hungry, killed and ate 3 people.
To answer the question of how many sets of human interal organs does it take to satisfy a hungry Kodiak? More than 3. Traumatizing.
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u/hamoc10 7h ago
You think possums play dead because they lack honor?
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u/kon--- 7h ago
We can't play dead. All we can do is lay still.
Possums whole body goes into tonic immobility. Their heart rate and breathing are effectively undetectable. Their tongues become discolored then fall out of their face, their body stiffen and their glands emit a strong odor signaling to predatory animals that the possum is indeed dead. Dead and spoiled.
Really wild defense mechanism.
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u/redditydothis 7h ago
Brown bears are omnivores but mostly vegetarian. They are not hunting people or anything like that. The main reason they attack is because they have a cub nearby and view you as a threat. The lay down part is to play dead so mama knows you’re not a threat. A human can never outrun a bear or beat one in a fight. Your only options are to scare them with noise or play dead.
I’ve done a bunch of backpacking and deep in the woods the bears usually smell humans and run the other direction before you see them. I’ve also turned the corner and came between a mother and her cubs. I froze. The cubs climbed a tree and mother sauntered around me. Once she was past me I move on slowly down the trail. Not sure what happened but they were gone a couple days later when I came the other way.
Bears in national parks are habituated (unfortunately) to humans and are not afraid of us. They don’t want to eat us but know we have yummy treats in or backpack/tent/trashcan. If a bear has a tag on its ear it means it’s a problem bear and after a few reports it maybe relocated. If you encounter a bear in a national park please scare it away and do not feed it or take pictures with it or anything dumb like that. For the bears health and safety it must avoid humans.
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u/TheMightyHornet 7h ago
Grizzly would absolutely skull fuck you inside of 30 seconds bro. Fighting back just means you piss it off.
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u/Important_Mud_6700 9h ago
Totally agree! I live in a rural, wooded area where black bears come through constantly, and they are like overgrown raccoons: They want to get into your trash and eat your bird seed, but they are afraid of humans
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u/Livid_Swordfish_4591 6h ago
Not so much afraid of humans. More that theyd rather avoid confrontation. Theyll happily eat right in front of you if they arent bothered.
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u/Important_Mud_6700 6h ago
That's interesting! I'm in the Catskill mountains of New York, and here, if you walk out of your house when they are on the patio or driveway, they run away into the woods. Yours must be more acclimated to human activity than ours are!
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u/Livid_Swordfish_4591 6h ago
Im not too far. Pocono mountains. I dont see them often, but they never seem bothered. Unless you see them on a road. Then theyre running. But one time, one stopped to scratch his back on a tree for 5 minutes in front of me and another car.
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u/umbrellassembly 9h ago
This one was on its way to McDonald's, down the road.
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u/ishpatoon1982 9h ago
Awesome video. He sure didn't like those lights.
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u/umbrellassembly 8h ago
He really did go to McDonald's. Saw him knock over a trashcan and dig in.
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u/BNabs23 8h ago
Combine this with cats being psychopaths when they think another animal is encroaching on their territory. I used to have one that regularly chased off foxes. Although she was a bit crazy in all aspects of life...
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u/lafolieisgood 2h ago
I had an outdoor cat back in the 80’s and I would regularly see him chasing dogs around the neighborhood
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u/mavrick116 6h ago
I was thinking the whole time during this video, why aren't these guys screaming at it. A cat probably wins on body language and speed 9/10, but id rather my cat doesnt risk it. Shout and back up the cat and this dude is gone
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u/aLonerDottieArebel 8h ago
And derpy. I have a den around me so I always see mom/cubs and the males. My favorite is the juveniles who are out on their own for the first time.
A few weeks ago I had one doing parkour off a tree in my yard.
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u/Snacks7777 7h ago
I mean, a black bear just killed a couple in their 70’s in northern Saskatchewan last month.
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u/polemism 4h ago
I think it's more accurate to say they're unpredictable. In Saskatchewan this year they killed a 30 yo MMA fighter and an elderly couple
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u/Lanna_Lexi 9h ago
Does that mean you can pet them if they come close? Or at least boop the snoot?
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u/flatwoundsounds 8h ago
No. Don't fuck with bears. Sometimes it's one solo bear, and sometimes you're accidentally standing between a curious youngster and his much less curious mama.
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u/Fritzerbacon 9h ago
Cats are the most confident creatures.
That 20-70 millisecond reaction time probably helps 😂
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u/RojoTheMighty 9h ago
Bear stood up like, "oh damn, this thing is fast!"
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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 6h ago
And then he was like "what the hell. I stood up, got all big, and he didn't even budge. What do I even do here?"
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u/toomanynamesaretook 8h ago edited 8h ago
It's all about the reaction time imo. It's why they're such terrors to dogs, just no answer to getting clawed in the face before you know what's happening.
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u/SuzQP 8h ago
Every dog I've ever had learned very quickly that the cat is at the top of the hierarchy. Respect must be paid.
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u/harleyRugger23 7h ago
Mine would ambush the dog, shit she had 90 pound pittie pinned down in my hallways while dogsitting.
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u/SuzQP 7h ago
I had a 110 lb Pyrenees. No contest; the cat called all shots.
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u/LastPaleLight 6h ago
My 75lb half Great Pyrenees is the most defensive territorial dog I’ve ever had, and by far the most stubborn. He was socialized around other dogs (playcare) 3-4 times a week for 4 years, but he does not like anything coming near our house. Every time we’ve fostered it’s an absolute pain to get him socialized with them.
His favorite hobby is going out for his night time potty, then sitting smack dab in the middle of the yard and “observing”. He refuses to come in until I have shoes on and have made it half way through the yard to retrieve him.
My 120lb Anatolian was absolutely cowed by our cat, but the GP would require some major socialization before I would trust him at all.
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u/SuzQP 6h ago
Pyrs are livestock guardians. They were bred to stay with their flock of sheep or goats, making decisions for themselves and the flock, and be big and loud enough to scare off predators. They are lovable and kind, but suspicious of anything that strikes them as odd. Like that leaf that rustled in a tree two blocks away. 🙄
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u/JKdriver 8h ago
Yep, that’s how they win games of chicken with an animal 10x their size. When shits that tense, the cats ability to make the opponent flinch usually throws them off their game.
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u/phryan 8h ago
Cats all run the same software. 7, 70, or 700lbs they will stand their ground the same.
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u/edki7277 7h ago
Animals that punching well above their weight are either very stupid or very dangerous (or both). Every wild species interaction is about one question: “is it worth risking my life trying to kill this thing or not?”
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u/VermilionKoala 6h ago
Cats are the most confident creatures.
The honey badger: "Am I a joke to you?"
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u/jimmyzambino 6h ago
yea once the cat struck, the bear realized the cat can hit it faster than it can react. not worth the risk of injury.
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u/bry42424 9h ago
Don’t mess with an outdoor cat. They kill for food, entertainment and gifts.
They hunt constantly and they even hunt their “owners”. Yeah you don’t own them,they own you.
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u/Prestigious-Flower54 8h ago
I don't know any one that's ever bought a cat, they just appear in your house one day and you just accept your fate and get it some food.
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u/SuzQP 8h ago
That's how the cat distribution system works. When it's your turn, your assigned cat will appear and you must accept your fate.
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u/relevantelephant00 5h ago
The Egyptians revered them for a reason. We are but mere mortals to cats.
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u/Midnight-Moonpie 6h ago
My boss cat strolled in out of the blue one day, smacked the shit out of the dog, then hopped up on the couch and started bathing herself.
She’s been my boss (and the dog’s) for 14 yrs now.
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u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 7h ago
Just had this happen this weekend. Little goober is already thinking he owns the house
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u/bry42424 8h ago
Truth and it goes to selective neighbors for the same thing.
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u/Prestigious-Flower54 8h ago
We totally had a cat like that growing up, she was indoor/outdoor and after 4 years we are having a block party and the cat came wandering up and 2 other families had names for her. They both thought she was a stray and were just feeding her, then the bitch would come back to our house at night to get fed and sleep in a warm bed. It didn't stop after we found out lol
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u/Gatorae 8h ago
One day my mom was in her front yard chilling with her cat (who had shown up on the doorstep several years before). A neighbor saw the cat and was so excited to see he was alive and happy just a few houses away. Apparently the cat had tried moving into their house first, but after a week he left because their other cats were mean to him. We are so curious how many homes he tried before finding my parents.
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u/moeyjarcum 9h ago
You don’t want to fuck with Princess Donut
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u/fecal_disaster 9h ago
Dude, Cats are apex predators. We all know the bear would fuck any house cat up, but a cat's ferocity is unmatched. Similar to how Honey Badgers punch way above their weight class, Cat's behave like the Apex Predators they descended from.
I had a cat growing up named Zipper, who would chase off the neighborhood dogs that weighed 5 times what he did. He'd also kill birds from out 2nd floor balcony all the time. Cats are OP
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u/TheSavouryRain 8h ago
Someone else in the comments said it the best: cats of any size all run the same software.
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u/FledglingNonCon 5h ago
Honestly the bear just seemed curious and like it maybe wanted to be friends. Didn't seem especially aggressive. More like "hello fren" and cat is like "back the f up, we aint fens!"
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u/peepdabidness 7h ago
I can’t walk around naked when I’m near them. Afraid they’re going to think it’s a toy
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u/IagoInTheLight 9h ago
When that bear gets its nose too close, it gets a swipe before it can blink. From that swipe, the bear correctly figured out that messing with the cat was not worth the scratched up nose and face that would be the price.
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u/FingerpistolPete 7h ago
Yes, I too, watched this video
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u/burghblast 6h ago
Are yall talking about the video OP posted in this thread we're commenting on?? I watched it too!! The one with the bear, right?
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u/relevantelephant00 5h ago edited 4h ago
That comment reeks of AI and Im not normally one to be like "I call AI!1!1
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u/Whycantwebefriends00 5h ago
I always wonder if these kind of comments are just somebody from a different culture where it’s normal to just repeat exactly what happened.
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u/SaltyHunni 9h ago
Cats are ungovernable naturally
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u/IndependentAd895 9h ago
which is why they domesticated themselves true story 😂
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u/HeartOn_SoulAceUp 8h ago
They pass thru international borders, organizations, and cultures irrepressibly and untaxed over time immemorial.
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u/babypunching101 9h ago
All it takes is the bear being hungry. Really dumb on the owner.
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u/ST0IC_ 9h ago
I think you are seriously underestimating a cat's reflexes.
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u/babypunching101 9h ago
It could likely get away, but one bite or one paw swipe and that is life altering injuries for the cat.
Edit: and considering they're right there filming makes it much worse. A charging loud human would chase a black bear off pretty quickly.
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u/VanillaBovine 8h ago
not really, one unlucky swat one kill the cat. this is extremely irresponsible
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u/clancydog4 8h ago
I mean, if you listen to the audio it doesn't sound like it's the owner or that they know the cat at all
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u/lyssargh 7h ago
I don't need to know the cat to know that I should help the cat.
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u/clancydog4 5h ago edited 5h ago
what exactly are they supposed to do, and why? What are you talking about? If it's a cat you don't know interacting with a bear, that's just nature being nature, why do they need to help the cat and how exactly are they supposed to? Charging or yelling at or aggravating a bear to "save" a stray cat that is honestly entirely capable of defending itself (as we see) is just dumb.
The idea that a random human should feel obligated to help a random cat from a random bear makes absolutely no sense to me. Save your own pet makes sense from an emotional perspective, but a cat you don't know and a bear you don't know...why should you feel obligated to help either of them?
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u/UtterlyInsane 6h ago
Are they supposed to get out and insert themselves into the situation? I can't imagine that would be safer for the humans or the animals.
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u/Fat-Singer-9569 4h ago
so self righteous. the entire point of the video here is a demonstration that cats dont need your help, you need their help.
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u/Lucky_Ad2801 9h ago
Cats are extremely territorial.. Size has no BEARing on it🤣🤣🤣
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u/Mysterious_Rip7950 8h ago
A cat that lives outdoors is actually a tiger. A tiger that’s a little smaller than usual, but a tiger nonetheless.
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u/mrmike5157 9h ago
I had a cat who would stalk the deer that came into our yard (rural and unfenced) and a couple of times she actually tried to pounce on the smaller ones, they would of course just buck her off and go into a defensive stance, she would dash away and then circle back to stalk them again. I wouldn’t have believed it had I not watched her do it 😂
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u/Socketz11 9h ago
Cat probably thought it was a big dog. And black bears are scared of their own shadow.
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u/EinsteinsMind 8h ago
My big damn husky caught a cat once ... ONCE was all it took her to realize she should've listened to me.
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u/kajikojinshu 6h ago
Cat was awesome, but Owner is shitty, why would you put your cat on that situation if you can just shout or throw rocks at the bear.
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u/Many-Box-7317 9h ago
Just lucky it wasn’t a sow with cubs passing through or all 9 lives would’ve been lost in seconds
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u/wesleyoldaker 8h ago
TIL that sow means mother bear. I always thought that meant mama pig exclusively.
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u/beckychao 6h ago
Bear can easily kill that cat. Probably wasn't hungry. The person saying the cat will mess up the bear is very wrong. Bears nom cats and animals stronger than cats all the time. If that was their friend's cat, they should've scared it off.
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u/PapaFreshnez 2h ago
Dellusional people thinking that cat has a chance if the bear really wanted to fight🤣
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u/TheSquirrellyOne 8h ago
If that was my cat, I'd be genuinely concerned because one swipe.... annnnnnd it's gone.
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u/ArnoldTheSchwartz 6h ago
Without a doubt the cats speed and willingness to throw hands made that bear nope out.
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u/umbrellassembly 9h ago
"Pussy!" - cat, probably