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Watch: In A Nerve-racking Encounter, A Black Bear Tapped A Runner On Her Leg

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Aishwarya Dharni
Aishwarya DharniUpdated on Sep 03, 2020, 16:27 IST

An unexpected encounter with a big black bear while on your morning run does not sound like a very pleasant idea, does it? Well, what if one not only comes face-to-face with a wild animal but it also taps your leg? That is exactly what happened to a woman when a black bear approached her on the popular Coquitlam Crunch trail in British Columbia, Canada. 

The incident took place around 11 am and was captured on camera by another runner named Sam Abdullah. 

Abdullah saw the woman who was descending from the top as she froze when a black bear emerged from the nearby bushes. He reportedly quickly took out his phone and recorded the encounter.

Also read: This Bear Hung Out With A Family Picnicking In The Woods & Calmly Waited For A Sandwich

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The video shows the bear coming out of the bushes and tapping the woman's leg.

Abdullah was quoted by CBC as saying, "I think she was in shock and she just froze there, you know." The bear jumped back a few steps immediately after tapping the woman on her leg. 

Also read: Nerves Of Steel: Bear Sneaks Up On Woman, Instead Of Panicking She Clicks A Selfie With It

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As soon as the bear backed down, the woman made a run for it and as she crossed Abdullah, she could be seen looking into the camera.   

Abdullah also said, "If you see the video, we are doing the opposite [of what] we are supposed to do. We are coming closer to the bear".

He added, "I was trying to distract the bear by yelling because we are not running away, because there was a girl there and we waited there until we knew that's she's safe."

Also read: See It To Believe It: Bear Shows Off Its 'Nunchuck Skills' In Viral Video

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The incident was reported to the BC Conservation Officer Service. Conservation officer Murray Smith said that 20 reports of a bear in the area getting into the garbage have been reported in the past month, however, this type of encounter is rare and worrying.

He said, "It appears the bear had little or no fear of the runner. It wasn't like the bear was startled by the runner and reached out and contacted them. In this case, the runner stopped, and the bear approached the runner and then the bear hit the person's leg, so it's very concerning".

 He also advised people to carry bear spray and use things like bells to make noise.

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