Sask. man’s video of close encounter with bear goes viral

Curtis Matwishyn hoped to snap just a few images of a younger black bear within the forest close to Waskesiu Lake, in northern Saskatchewan, earlier this month. 

However the wildlife photographer quickly discovered himself a bit too shut for consolation to the animal.

Matwishyn and his fiancée have been driving again to Waskesiu, the place he works as a wildland firefighter, searching for wildlife to take images of. After recognizing the bear amble into the meadow, Matwishyn adopted it along with his digicam and telephone, in addition to a can of bear spray.

After taking just a few images, the bear appeared to sense his presence.

“It was sniffing the air … and it was trying and looking for me,” he mentioned. 

Matwishyn believed the bear — at that time about 100 metres from him — would cross the path he was on and transfer deeper into the forest to get away from human contact. As a substitute, it walked towards him.

As soon as it got here inside about 40 metres of him, Matwishyn put his digicam away and commenced backing up, arming himself with the bear spray, and calling on the animal to attempt to scare it off.

“It checked out me, nevertheless it simply continued strolling down the path towards me, unfazed,” he mentioned.

Matwishyn tried to step into the woods to let the bear cross on the path, nevertheless it adopted him there, too. 

“[It] was at that time that I knew that I used to be in a special bear encounter than I had ever had earlier than,” he mentioned.

Resisting the urge to take extra images along with his digicam, he opted as a substitute to take video of the encounter along with his telephone. It was about three minutes later that the bear got here shut sufficient that he launched some spray, which instantly scared the animal off.

Matwishyn was capable of safely return to his automotive, the place his fiancée was relieved that she hadn’t gone with him.

“It is virtually like time slows down and also you’re hyper-focused,” he mentioned.

“I used to be centered on the bear, centered on not tripping as I used to be strolling backward … and having a great end result for myself and the bear.”

Matwishyn mentioned bear security coaching via his work ready him effectively for the encounter and saved him calm. It is the closest he is come to a bear whereas on foot.

The video has since develop into widespread on-line, receiving over 3.7 million views on widespread Fb web site ViralHog as of Thursday afternoon.

“I really had mates that had seen the video however they’d no thought it was me,” he mentioned. 

“In a gaggle chat we have been chatting and my buddy realized, ‘I noticed that video — that was you?’ That is, I assume, how you already know it is gone viral.”

Proper steps taken, says park ecologist

The province of Saskatchewan notes on its website that the majority bears are cautious round people, however recommends “if you encounter a bear, cougar or another predator, hold your distance.”

Dustin Guedo, an ecologist with Parks Canada primarily based at Waskesiu Lake, which is positioned in Prince Albert Nationwide Park, says Matwishyn took the fitting method when the bear began following him.

“He saved alert, at all times speaking to the bear, making an attempt to scare the bear off,” mentioned Guedo. “The end result, in the long run, was a great one.” 

The one factor Matwishyn might have finished in a different way, mentioned Guedo, was use the bear spray sooner. 

Guedo says there could possibly be quite a lot of causes as to why the bear started following him, however it is attainable that as a result of the bear was younger, it was curious. Guedo says bear assaults on people within the park are uncommon.

Matwishyn, in the meantime, hopes the video can be utilized to point out others easy methods to deal with encounters, despite the fact that he is aware of there are issues he’d do in a different way subsequent time. 

“It hasn’t scared me away from the bush. If something, it is really given me extra confidence.”