A video has emerged of a close encounter between a hiker and a black bear in a Mexican ecological park.
The bear can be seen approaching the group of hikers and sniffing and pawing at one of the women.
The woman remains calm as the animal stands up on its hind legs and she even takes a selfie of the encounter.
The incident is believed to have taken place in Chipinque Ecological Park.
Following the circulation of the video online, the park issued a statement on July 19 to announce that it would take “strict measures” against visitors who put their life and/or wildlife at risk.
“First of all we want to communicate that we are relieved that people were unharmed. We thank the visitors who gave their support to the three people and we recognise the calm they maintained during the tense moment they lived through,” the park’s statement said.
“This type of approach by the black bear to the visitor is an abnormal behaviour caused by humans. The interaction shown in the video should have been avoided. What is indicated is to move away when detecting the presence of the bear and not get closer; however we see that even the person seeks to take a photo.
“Given the above, Chipinque will take strict measures against visitors who put their life and / or wildlife at risk. Remember that Chipinque is a protected natural area, home to wild flora and fauna, so the sighting of mammals is not unusual, and it is the responsibility of the visitor to stay alert during his visit, avoid getting close and report the presence of a bear to our park rangers,” the park said.
Watch the video to see the tense encounter.
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