‘Stay there… good bear’: Runner keeps his cool as hungry bear stalks him in terrifying close encounter in national park
- Evan Matthews filmed chase through Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- The runner noticed he was being followed by the bear and started filming
- Mr Matthews is heard calmly reasoning with the bear who he thinks is hungry
This is the nail-biting moment a bear chases a runner for half a mile through the woods.
Evan Matthews filmed the slow but scary chase through Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, earlier this month.
After noticing that the hungry cinnamon black bear was following him Mr Matthews pulled out his camera and bear spray and began to talk to the bear.
In his footage Mr Matthews, from Teton Valley, Idaho, is heard reasoning with the bear telling him: ‘You stay there. Good bear. Hey, no, I don’t care if you’re hungry. I’m not your food.’
When the bear makes an advance, coming within 20 yards of Mr Matthews, the runner tries to scare it away by loudly shouting ‘no’ and ‘stay back’.
Armed with bear spray, which he says he doesn’t want to use, the runner calmly walks backwards.
He keeps his eyes on the bear which continues to follow him for half a mile back to his car.
Mr Matthews said: ‘Went for a casual run today in the park and ended up being run at and followed for about half a mile by this hungry little cinnamon black bear who was fresh out of the den.
‘I’ve seen plenty of bears in the wild, but this was the first time one had shown any interest in me. He must have been extra hungry!’
The runner said that he had avoided running away as he believed the bear would have seen him as prey and chased him down.
Runner Evan Matthews filmed the pursuit through Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, after going for a run earlier this month. Pictured, the cinnamon black bear ventures out of the trees and onto the road
When the bear makes an advance, coming within 20 yards of Mr Matthews, he tries to scare it away by loudly shouting ‘no’ and ‘stay back’
Armed with bear spray, which he says he doesn’t want to use, Mr Matthews calmly walks backwards keeping his eyes on the bear until the bear changes his mind and runs off
Mr Matthews stood his ground and said he did not play dead as the solo bear was ‘hungry’ and looking for ‘an easy target’ – rather than a mother bear trying to protect her cubs.
The runner added: ‘I kept talking to it to show that I was a human and not to be mistaken for another animal.
‘Not all bear encounters are the same. In most cases, I’ve been able to just go around the animal. But this one was interested in me, so I had to change its mind.’
Although the bear is brown in color Mr Matthews specified that the animal was a ‘cinnamon phase black bear’, meaning it has a coat that is brown.
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