Dashcam footage shows abhorrent treatment of wild grizzly bear by snowmobile driver: ‘Illegal and irresponsible’
Actions have consequences, and one snowmobile driver almost found that out in the most horrific way.
For some reason, chasing a grizzly bear through the snow on a motorized sled seemed like a good idea. That was until the bear decided it had had enough of being pursued and decided to rear up and lunge for the vehicle.
The dashcam video, posted by Overtime (@overtime) on TikTok, was able to capture the chase, and the slow-motion replay at the end proves just how close the driver was to being struck by the huge grizzly.
“It got WAYYYYY too close,” read the caption on the TikTok video of the encounter, with the uploader seemingly unaware of the complete lack of respect for the animal demonstrated in the footage, with hashtags #amazing, #stunt, and #fail missing the point entirely.
As many commenters observed, it wasn’t the bear who got “too close.” It was the humans who decided to threaten the bear.
“IT got [too] close!??” said one exasperated TikToker. “This rider got [too] close!! This land belongs to them. We invade their home.”
It’s the top comment on the post, suggesting that most viewers share similar feelings after watching.
“Why were you chasing a bear?” another user questioned. “In Canada, that’s very illegal and irresponsible.”
This driver was lucky they got out of the way, but there was absolutely no reason to put themselves or the bear in such a position.
In fact, it appears there is a second snowmobile in the video approaching the bear from another angle, so it’s quite understandable why the animal would have wanted to defend itself.
It’s grim viewing, and it could have been grimmer.
This isn’t the first example of someone getting way too close to a bear in its natural habitat. A tourist who approached a group of bears, including cubs, at Yellowstone National Park in 2021 received a four-day jail sentence, a year on probation, and fines of up to $2,040 for their reckless actions.
They, and the snowmobile driver, were lucky the consequences weren’t more severe.
While they put their own lives in danger, the bears were also put at risk. While it’s not clear where the snowmobile footage was taken, and it seems to be fairly remote, bears have been euthanized for showing threatening behavior toward humans.
The lack of respect for wildlife shown in both cases is lamentable, making it all the more frustrating that these particular people got to witness the magnificent creatures firsthand when many others aren’t so lucky.
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