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The intense moment a bear caught a man and his partner by surprise while walking their dogs was caught on camera and has since gone viral.
After being alerted by his dogs to the bear's presence, the footage showed the man springing into action as he is seen growling and ultimately slapping the bear's face before it finally retreats.
TikTok user @anthonymooren174 posted the video to his account on September 21, and it amassed more than 6 million views.
Though he was initially startled, @anthonymooren174 chased the bear away by yelling at it, hitting it and making loud banging noises.
Amber Kornak, a grizzly bear conflict specialist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, told Newsweek there are two types of behavior someone should be on the lookout for if they are faced with a bear.
One is defensive behavior, which involves huffing, jaw clicking and ground swatting. She said this typically occurs if someone comes across a female bear with her cubs or in a surprise encounter.
"You'll want to stand your ground and have your bear spray ready," Kornak said. "You never want to run or climb a tree."
The other type of behavior is predatory behavior, which occurs when a bear follows or approaches a person.
"If the bear makes contact with you, you'll want to fight back," she said.
Kornak said it is less likely for bears to display predatory behavior, but recommends everyone carry bear spray with them, especially if they are in a bear-populated area.
She said bears typically try to avoid humans, but there may be some encounters that take place by chance.
The National Park Service (NPS) said if someone is noticed by a bear, they should talk in a calm tone of voice that alerts the bear they are a human and not a prey animal.
"Remain still; stand your ground but slowly wave your arms," the NPS said. "Help the bear recognize you as a human. Help the bear recognize you as a human. It may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening."
Bear attacks are rare, but there are some ways a person can protect themselves in those situations.
If attacked by a brown bear or grizzly bear, a person should play dead by laying flat on the ground on their stomach with their hands behind their neck. They should also spread their legs to make it more difficult for the bear to turn them over.
"Remain still until the bear leaves the area," the NPS advised. "Fighting back usually increases the intensity of such attacks. However, if the attack persists, fight back vigorously."
When someone is attacked by a black bear, they should try to find a safe place, like a car or building.
"If escape is not possible, try to fight back using any object available," the agency said. "Concentrate your kicks and blows on the bear's face and muzzle."
It was not stated what type of bear @anthonymooren174 fought back against in the video.
The clip opened as @anthonymooren174's dogs were seen barking at something off-camera. TikToker @anthonymooren174 then yanked his dogs backward before he started shouting and growling at the bear that crept into the frame of the video.
"Get back, get back," he said before smacking the bear in its face.
TikToker @anthonymooren174 continued to shout at the bear and handed the leash over to his partner seen in the clip. Grabbing a shovel and what appeared to be a lid, he began banging the two together before the video ended.
Viewers were stunned after watching the video.
"His fight or flight doubled down on fight," a viewer wrote.
"Even the bear was like, 'Jesus Christ dude, calm down,'" wrote another TikTok user.
"The bear was too stunned to speak," one comment read.
Newsweek reached out to @anthonymooren174 for comment.
Other previous bear encounters include a dog who intervened to try to rescue its owner who was being attacked by a bear and a man who shoved a bear off his porch to protect his dogs, as seen in a video.
Another video captured the moment that a black bear approached a man who was napping by his pool.
Update 10/07/22 4:06 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Amber Kornak, a grizzly bear conflict specialist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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