The unbelievable moment a man casually and calmly deterred a grizzly bear from a group with nothing but his voice has gone viral online, after resurfacing a year later.
Caleb Jacques and his family own and run Grizzly Safaris in Iliamna, Alaska, where photographers head to take guided tours of the immense brown bear population.
Filmed during a group tour led by Jacques, the video was originally shared to their YouTube channel in February 2021, but has since resurfaced online.
In less than a day, the video has gained over 53,000 votes on Reddit after being shared to popular Subreddit "Next F***ing Level."
"In this video, I am guiding a group that is watching a sow with spring cubs from a safe distance. From behind us walking up the creek bed, heading our direction, comes this sub-adult bear," explained Jacques in the description.
"We let the bear know we are there from the get-go, and the bear chooses to approach us curiously. At this point, I remember I loaned my bear spray to our apprentice guide who has it in his coat pocket.
"We did not have bear spray out and available. I made do with the two best bear deterrents available to me: my voice, and my body."
He added that the bear seemed young and curious, with it likely being only its second summer away from its mother, in a remote location.
At first, he appeared to flatter the bear, dubbing it a "pretty one" in a sing-song voice, but loaded a gun in his hand. As it reared closer, the pace changed. As he told the bear, "no closer," it had zero effect, as it stepped up to them.
Suddenly, the man made a loud noise at the bear, saying: "You get." Almost immediately, it startled back, but wasn't completely deterred.
After being instructed to, the entire group behind him placed their hands in the air—a popular method of deterring bears. The man continued to shout, and even lunged towards the bear.
Finishing off his 101 on how to scare a bear, he roared towards it, continuing to shout: "Get on out of here."
"Likely we are the first people it has ever encountered on its own, thus leading to a confrontation that because of proximity could have turned deadly for the bear and us in a split second," Jacques wrote.
It was the youthfulness of the bear that made Jacques actually wish he had his bear spray on hand, for the greater good of both him and the animal.
"Had I had bear spray, I would have been well within my rights to spray the bear on that first bluff charge," he wrote. "That could possibly form a negative association with humans as a result, which for a young curious bear like this one might have been a good thing."
After going viral for a second time, impressed viewers applauded Jacques for his handling of the bear.
"He is a real boss that handled this in the best way," wrote one user.
"That guy knew exactly what he was doing and how to deal with that situation," added another.
"Your a lucky guy," commented one user. "Unless you're in this situation don't even judge or criticize this man. Bears are no joke regardless of how you are armed, thank you for this video, you're a good guide and a brave man!"
