A 700-pound grizzly sat within inches of this photographer. His three-word answer saved him

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Quick pick up

• Surviving a close encounter with a 700 pound grizzly it requires maintaining absolute silence in its critical space.

• The crushing power of a grizzly’s jaw creates a lethal risk during close-up sightings.

• Lightning strikes pose a statistically similar threat to humans as grizzly bears.

• Executing a 3 word word voice command it was necessary to redirect the apex predator as it approached the photographer.

Can you imagine seeing a grizzly when you are enjoying nature? It would be pretty jarring to see one from a distance, but imagine one casually walking up to your camp chairs, literally within walking distance of you?

Well, that’s exactly what happened to a photographer with ice in his veins – an enormous grizzly just happened to walk by and sit next to him. His room didn’t even shake!

This is a short clip, but one that begins with a stunning, strangely peaceful yet tense moment. In the background you can see some snow covered mountains with a big open green space right in front of a huge grizzly bear.

Almost comically, there’s a lawn chair on the right side of the screen, as if the bear has been invited to a daytime hangout. Seemingly unfazed by the presence of the man on his right, the bear looks around and casually heads towards the rushing river just below.

He stops to admire the view, as a tourist would. At this moment, he is only a few feet away from the man’s lawn chair and the man. Its size can be fully appreciated at this angle – as can its powerful claws.

A grizzly’s slow snoring and heavy breathing may look like human sadness or boredom, but in wild bears, these may be signals of the animal processing its surroundings or simply cooling down after the physical exertion of fishing.

Attributing human emotion to a bear should be left for cartoons, but the scene is far too sparse and they’re starting to feel like they both need this date away from the cleansing aura of running water with a friend.

The cameraman holds the camera steady and the grizzly continues to stare into the water, not acknowledging the man’s presence or the small web he has created for himself. White birds fly in the background as the bear decides this is a nice place to rest.

The bear sits on its back and places its front paws just in front of its trunk, resting on the ground. Suddenly, he stands up and starts walking towards the man. The man quickly responds by turning the camera and saying “Hey, hey, hey” to the bear.

The bear, disinterested, walks around the man and away from him. At the end of the short clip, the camera captures another camera facing the water, where somewhere around 10 grizzly bears can be spotted. This cameraman probably wasn’t counting on such a close encounter, but his nerves of steel paid off as he earned some truly epic close-up footage of this enormous bear.

Would you keep your cool if a giant grizzly approached you?

A grizzly encounter would be a major challenge for the average person. This encounter took place at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, where the bears have become “habitually indifferent” to humans. Because bears and humans follow strict rules of coexistence, the bear felt comfortable enough to rest near the photographer without perceiving him as a threat or food source.

Grizzly bears weigh over 700 pounds – males being much heavier than females. A large female can weigh up to 350 pounds. While grizzlies are significantly larger and heavier than black bears, they are typically smaller than the polar bears and massive kodiak bears found on the islands of southwestern Alaska. With a bite force of over 1,100 PSI, a grizzly has enough power to crush heavy bones and thick materials—a power often compared to the force needed to break a bowling ball.

They can be distinguished from black bears by a concave-looking face and a muscular shoulder hump that attaches to the grizzly’s spine for added digging strength. Their very long and sharp claws on their front legs also give them an added ability to dig for food and dig their dens. Do not rely on color for identification. Black bears can actually be brown, cinnamon or even blond. Instead, look for the prominent grizzly shoulder hump and concave facial profile that black bears lack.

Is it normal for grizzly bears to approach humans?

Fortunately, bears do not consider humans to be prey. Visitors to national parks known for bears, such as Yellowstone, are almost as likely to be killed by lightning as a bear attack. Grizzly bears are curious, have good eyesight and excellent memories, hearing and sense of smell. They are also intelligent and aloof; they will modify their habits to avoid humans and, like any animal, they have what is called a “critical space,” an area around them that they will defend. These bears are more likely to be indifferent to human presence, although every bear encounter will be different.

It is important to remain calm during any encounter with a wild animal, and if you are traveling in an area with bears, you should prepare yourself how to proceed.

Where do grizzly bears live?

Unless you live in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington or Wyoming – you don’t have to worry about grizzlies. They were once again widespread, but have been hunted almost to extinction in some areas and are still suffering from habitat loss. There are approximately 21,000 grizzly bears in Canada. Life expectancy is 20-25 years.

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The post A 700-pound grizzly sat within inches of this photographer. His 3 word response to saved appeared first on AZ Animals.