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A man talking about his new job while hiking in Montana in a now-viral TikTok video paused when he realized that he stumbled upon an abandoned campsite in grizzly country.
Ron Ulrich posted the video on his TikTok account @myfabulancelife, where it amassed 1 million views.
Ulrich showed viewers the mess of sleeping bags and a tent that he found. Text over the video said that the campsite was in a territory where grizzly bears live.
Montana is home to both grizzly bears and black bears, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Grizzly bears can be identified by a hump typically found on their shoulders, the shape of their face profile and the size and shape of their ears.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said that those who are out hiking or camping should carry bear spray, never feed bears and keep a distance from wildlife.
Different encounters with bears call for different behaviors. For example, the agency said that if the bear is not actively engaging with a person, that person should give the bear space and slowly back away.
However, if a bear charges at a person, they should stand their ground and be prepared to use bear spray.
"If you do not have bear spray, play dead if it is a grizzly bear, fight back if it is a black bear," the agency said.
In his video, Ulrich was talking about work when he suddenly stopped talking and looked around.
"Just as I arrived to my hike destination, just as I started to talk about day 2 work and post work hike, I saw this," read the text over the video. "In Grizzly country. 2.5 miles from the trailhead."
He turned the camera and panned around the clearing. A heap of camping supplies lay in a pile just feet away from Ulrich.
"Tent, sleeping bags," the text over the video read. "Abandoned for weeks? Where are the people?"
The video concluded with a message over a photo of the area stating that Ulrich planned to call the authorities that day.
Viewers were just as unsettled as Ulrich.
"This is literally the only time I'd hope it was people being lazy and leaving their stuff behind," a viewer wrote.
"Also the area sounds way too quiet," another viewer said. "No birds or other sounds of wildlife is concerning."
"The campsite was [worrisome] but his look did me in," one viewer wrote. "That's the look of a man that knows he cannot fight a grizzly."
"That is ALOT of gear to abandon," a viewer said. "Leaving a piece is normally due to it breaking or accidental loss. They walked away from that site in a hurry."
Some TikTok users said something less tragic may have happened.
"Didn't see any blood," one wrote. "That might be a good sign."
"There are many people that abandon [their] stuff in the woods because they simply don't care," another viewer said. "We see it often."
"Nothing is torn up so they must have run away," a viewer said.
Ulrich posted a second video and said he contacted the Flathead Reservation Fish and Game Department, which was investigating the matter.
Newsweek reached out to Ron Ulrich for comment.
A grizzly bear mother and her cub were euthanized after they were spotted approaching residential areas searching for human food.
Another video showed a grizzly bear walking behind a man who was hiking off-trail.
One grizzly bear was captured and relocated after it was found eating cattle on private property in Wyoming.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more