-
01
Came to drink some water from the pool
As Mail Online reports, "Massachusetts says that black bears have been expanding their territory throughout the state in recent years." This video is definitely testament to that. The bear, surprisingly gently, sniffs Matthew's foot then touches it with its paw, startling Matthew into waking up, and, in turn, getting startled too and running off. The entire incident probably would have been entirely unbelievable had it not been caught on the residents' security camera. Matthew's wife, Dawn Bete, posted the full security video on her Facebook page with the caption: "Matt was a little startled yesterday while taking a rest by the pool ??."
-
02
Looking around
Under the video, Dawn commented that her husband "texted me a picture of the bear running through the front yard and said the bear nudged his foot while he was sleeping by pool," and "[o]f course I thought he was kidding! He told me to look at the Ring video. Sure enough....." She continued and added that "Matt was just so startled, picked up his phone with no luck of a good picture. He wasn't sure how he should react but knew he couldn't get up that fast but at least he had another chair and table between them if needed. Luckily it went running out soon after the encounter."
-
03
Target decided, must sniff
We would have been startled in that situation too, not knowing what to do. In the Massachusetts state website, it is explained that "[a] bear's first response to something unusual is to leave." So, if you see one where it doesn't belong, you should "step outside, yell, and make lots of noise." If that isn't enough and bears keep showing up at your property, the website explains that you should "check your property and remove any potential food sources."
-
04
A human's foot, touching necessary
Anyway, we are happy that this incident ended as positively as it did, since god knows it could have ended up much, much worse. Keep yourself safe out there, and don't forget - if you see a bear in your backyard, your first response should definitely not be filming. And if you want more stories about scary incidents with a happy ending, check out this story about a kitten with getting its broken jaw fixed with some buttons.
-
05
Human woke up, abort!
-
06
Startled and confused
-
07
And... immediately taking pictures
For a weekly dose of animal-themed community challenges - Subscribe to our Newsletter!
Can't get enough of ICanHasCheezburger? Find us on Instagram!