Woman From Viral Grizzly-and-Dog Video Speaks Out

A video showing a woman and her dog encountering a grizzly bear in Alberta, Canada, has gone viral, and the desert camp where the woman lived has now provided important context. Wilderness Escape Adventures wrote in a follow-up to the original video that the woman was only 100 meters from the camp when the incident happened. Thankfully, everyone walked away unscathed.

In the original video, the polar bear repeatedly approaches the woman and her dog. Sometimes, it stands up on its hind legs. The woman holds her own, speaks loudly, and does not turn her back on the bear. The dog and its owner remained remarkably calm, given the circumstances.

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Wilderness Escape Adventures stepped in to provide more information about what happened.

“He was 100 feet from camp. Dog on leash. No bear spray,” Wilderness Escape Adventures wrote in the following post. “And a grizzly that wasn’t afraid of people or its dog at all. What followed was something even a seasoned conservation officer saw with his own eyes. Always carry bear spray in the dark. Always.”

What Really Happened

The business also clarified in a series of comments that the client posted the original video, and the business owner was able to contact him directly after the video went viral.

“Here’s his story: He had just grabbed his morning coffee – the spoon was still in the cup – and he went outside to walk his dog on the dirt road. His paws hurt so he only planned to go out for 5 minutes, 100 meters from camp.
The bear did something different. You want to know. Focusing on his dog. He had a feeling that something was going to happen and he made history. What you see is what happens next.”

“That sound? Not a bear bell – it was a spoon in his coffee cup. When the camera started to shake, that’s when he threw the cup down the road leading into the forest. When he saw him to investigate, he ran. [. . .] He threw himself into one of the tents of the camp, others nearby shouted and raised their arms as a distraction. . . the bear even turned around and chased away the deer.”

What Went Well, What Didn’t Go Well

The owner of the business praised the woman for reacting well under a lot of pressure, but it would have been better if she had bear spray.

“Here’s the tricky part – if they had bear spray and used it when they got too close, that bear would have learned to associate people with something unpleasant and distance themselves from it. They didn’t learn that lesson. Which means the next person they approach may have to deal with an even bolder bear.”

Watch the full story behind the viral video of a woman, her dog, and a grizzly bear in Alberta below (or see it here).