VIDEO: Camper flees black bear in North Vancouver

David Weale was camping along the the Capilano River, and woke up to the terrifying sight of a black bear patrolling the outside of his tent.

At one point in the video, the black bear pulls at the tent’s fiberglass poles and snaps them.

Black bears are often attracted to campsites where they detect the smell of food or garbage. For that reason, campers are advised to cook and store edible items well away from their tent in areas where black bears are known to congregate.

In this instance, Weale told Daily Hive he had smoothies stored in his tent.

A Smithsonian.com article also advises that black bears will silently stalk their prey in the hours before eating them. Fatal attacks are most likely at this time of year when they’re stocking up on nourishment before the winter.

Weale’s lucky escape has attracted much criticism online, particularly as it has raised fears that the bear may now anticipate that other campers in the area will also have food. It has fuelled concerns that the bear may at some stage have to be put down.

However, writing on his YouTube channel, Weale hit back, writing:

“Ya not the smartest to have food there for sure. I’d been visiting the spot regularly for months and hadn’t ever seen a bear in the area so I didn’t think it would be a problem.

“Hopefully this can help others not make the same mistake and the bear doesn’t have harm fall to him because of it.”

BC Parks has a list of guidelines on its website for campers which explain how to deal with these “unpredictable and potentially dangerous” animals.

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