Did you ever think it'd be great to see a bear up close? Cool, right?
Yes. But also, no.
Alberta Parks released a video Monday that shows a large bruin manhandling a bear trap with ease.
The concerning part is that the bear trap weighs around 3,000 lb. — the approximate weight of a small car. The bear tosses the trap around like a toy, flipping it several times.
Parks Canada encourages people not to stop when they come across a bear roadside. Rather, humans should slow down and give the bear plenty of space. If you can't resist taking a photo, quickly snap the shot and move on. And under no circumstances should a human get out of a vehicle.
When bears regularly encounter humans, the following can happen, according to the Parks Canada website on bear safety:
- It can alter its path of travel or abandon an area, displacing it from important habitat.
- It can react aggressively: this usually only happens when the bear is surprised at close range and feels threatened. Serious human-bear - encounters may result in the bear's destruction and loss from the ecosystem.
- It becomes habituated: with frequent, repeated exposure to people, a bear loses its natural wary behaviour and becomes increasingly bolder. It is more likely to enter a campground or townsite where food or garbage may be improperly stored.
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