Sam Amico
In the event you can’t come up with enough reasons to not go mountain climbing, well, here’s another. You could be attacked by a bear — and one Japanese man has your proof.
Videos by Rare
The incident occurred on a rocky cliff rocky on Mount Futago and was captured by the climber’s GoPro. It was then shared on YouTube and has garnered more than 2 million views, and counting.
Bear attacks just have that kind of grip on people, it seems. Fortunately, the climber was able to fight off the bear and live to show and tell the story.
Wild Clip Shows Mountain Climber Fighting Off Bear,
“I was attacked by a bear from behind while descending the rocky ridge of Mt. Futago in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan,” the climber said in the video description. “Instead of fear, I switched to the feeling that if it was coming, I had no choice but to face it.”
It seems as if the bear reacted aggressively because the climber came between the bear and its cub. In the world of bears, and humans, that’s a definite no-no. That’s even the case with generally milder black bears, which tend to leave humans alone, unless.
“Looking back at the video, it seems that the bear attacked me to protect the cub,” the climber said. “I invaded bear territory, but since they attacked me, I defended myself with self-defense.”
The climber did the right thing by fighting back, according to the U.S. National Parks Service. This flies in the face of widespread suggestions that you should pretend to be dead during bear encounters.
“Do not play dead. Direct punches and kicks at the bear’s face, and use any weapon like rocks, branches, or bear spray to defend yourself,” the parks service website reads.
Clearly, this climber knew that already, and it’s why he was able to fend off the bear and go viral.
