A two-year-old child in Metro Vancouver had a frighteningly close encounter with a black bear outside her home.
A video uploaded to an Instagram account dedicated to a young child, Gina, shows her slowly walking into the driveway of a Port Coquitlam home. She suddenly stops, looks behind her toward the garage, and walks faster away from the house and toward the residential street. Just seconds into the video, viewers see a black bear walking toward the child.
Behind the fence, people on the property can be seen in the video. One woman, dressed in black, walks to the edge of the fence toward the child, seemingly gesturing for Gina to come toward her. When the bear walks toward the child, the woman covers her mouth.
In a second video, when the bear approaches the child, Gina can be seen running on the road behind a parked vehicle. A man then runs toward the child, picks her up, and hurriedly brings Gina back toward the home.
Neither Instagram video shared on Saturday had audio from the incident.
“We were lucky,” the video was captioned by the Instagram users.
The child’s parents explained to Daily Hive that their family was outside, putting on their shoes to go for a walk.
“When we opened the gate, my youngest daughter went out ahead of us,” the message reads. “She saw the bear first, got scared, and ran into the street.”
Gina’s family added that they tried to bring her back, “but the bear was right in front of the gate, making it extremely dangerous for all of us, especially for Gina.”
“We even considered climbing the fence to reach her, but we didn’t want to attract the bear’s attention and provoke it.”
The family said that eventually, one of them could get into the neighbour’s front yard and “ran to Gina from the other side.”
Since the family shared the video online, many people have commented on it to express how shocked they are to see such a close encounter.
One person wrote, “Such a horrific situation.”
However, people have also criticized the family’s response and asked why the child was walking outside the house fence and why nobody behind it jumped over it to bring her inside.
The Instagram post’s caption did not provide any details explaining the situation, and the footage shared was from the home’s security cameras.
Since the video was shared online, the family said it “received many hurtful comments” over the past few days.
“People don’t understand what we went through, and their words have deeply affected us.”
It’s unclear when the incident occurred or if the family reported the bear sighting. This article will be updated if more information is received.
Daily Hive has chosen not to provide identifying information about the family.
If you encounter a bear, the provincial site recommends you “remain calm” and “do not run or climb a tree.”
“Slowly back away, talking to the bear in a quiet, monotone voice. Do not scream, turn your back on the bear, kneel down or make direct eye contact,” the site reads.
The province also says to keep away, keep children close by picking them up and carrying small children, and get inside and bring pets indoors if possible.
“Watch the bear until it leaves. Make sure the bear has a clear escape route. After the bear is gone and it’s safe, make sure there is nothing in the area that will attract bears back again,” the province added on its site.
To learn more about how to behave and respond if you see a bear, visit the provincial site.