A black bear crashed a picnic outside a Coquitlam, B.C. home, getting close to a family and their dog.
The Monday afternoon encounter was captured on cellphone camera and posted to YouTube.
Burke Mountain resident Dave Jonsson told CTV News Vancouver it happened around 4 p.m. He said he'd been having a picnic with his family at the time.
He heard the cracking of branches right behind them, and stood up.
“I looked up and probably about eight feet away was the bear,” said Jonsson.
He told his kids to get into the house as he looked for signs of what was making the sound.
"As for my dog, I was more scared for him than I was for myself. I run into bears all the time in Burke, but I never had my dog off-leash," he said.
Jonsson's video shows what happened next: the black bear emerged from a wooded area and looked around before walking toward the man.
The small dog walked toward the bear and took a look, then walked away. The bear also turned around and lumbered away.
“It was actually a good encounter when it comes to outcomes for both parties," conservation officer Nicole Caithness explained, saying Jonsson made all the right moves in front of the bear by not running, not making direct eye contact and speaking to the bear with firm assertive statements.
“What he was saying that was very good - It just lets the bear know you're a person, you're not a threat but you are not food either."
