They say that sharing is caring, but when you’re sharing your picnic lunch with a hungry black bear, the caring thing to do is scare it away.

In this viral TikTok originally posted by Ángela Chapa (but later removed by the platform), a young black bear wants to join the party, casually chomping down on enchiladas, tacos, and whatever is out on the table while the family sits statue-still inches away. CBS News, CNN, and NBC picked up this story, and it garnered thousands and thousands of comments and reposts on social media. Most commenters praised the woman in the video for being so calm as she shielded and protected the young boy while the bear feasted, but really, there should have been no encounter in the first place. 

Typically, black bears are fearful and don’t really want to be around people. That’s why attacks are rare. But, if you encounter a curious one, like the bear in the video, then you should scare it off by doing the following:

Usually, advice on existing in bear country centers on prevention, but what if it’s too late and you find yourself in an interaction with a curious bear that just wants a bite of your lunch? In the video, the bear never should have made it to the picnic table. The family should have stood, banged on the table, yelled—whatever it took to scare the bear off. They certainly should not have been sitting silently while it all happened.

What the family did right, though, was avoid eye contact with the bear. You can see them staring straight ahead, even as the bear smacks its gums right in their ears. According to some (though not all) experts, bears may perceive eye contact as a threat.

Black bears aren’t usually willing to put up much of a fight. You can prevent aggressive behavior by keeping all smellables in a closed bear box or bear-proof container while you’re not actively using them. It also doesn’t hurt to keep bear spray nearby, such as on the picnic table, while in bear country, either. Deterrents give you more power to decide how an interaction with a bear is going to shake out—good for you, and good for the bear.

From 2023