Alaskan Man Is a Different Breed and Stares Down Charging Grizzly Easily

Written by Angie Menjivar
Updated: October 18, 2023
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Should you spot a grizzly in the wild, you likely wouldn’t utter the words, “Hi, sweet thing” to it. In fact, you may be so frozen in fear, that you stop breathing altogether. This Alaskan man not only speaks sweetly to the grizzly at first, but also intimidates it with his own guttural roaring.

It’s the kind of short clip you keep your eyes glued to and that gives you goosebumps.

Check Out The Entire Video Below!

Expert grizzly bear safari guide stands off with curious sub-adult grizzly.

Caleb Jacques is a grizzly bear safari guide in Alaska—already, you know he’s cut from a different cloth. In the video, he’s guiding a group, keeping a safe distance from a sow and her cubs. As the video starts, you can spot a sub-adult grizzly approaching the group from the left on a creek bed.

Grizzly

It is important to stand tall, act intimidating, and never run away, if a bear is approaching you.

©Perpis/Shutterstock.com

The bear, curious and without previous exposure to humans, walks up toward the group. Caleb begins to call out “Hey” to the bear. A man on the left can be seen snapping photos as Caleb continues engaging with the grizzly, saying “Hi, sweet thing… Go on.”

Caleb realizes that he has handed his bear spray to his apprentice and knows there’s no time to fumble around and try to get it with the proximity of the grizzly. You can see he has his pistol in hand, a .44SW. The grizzly is a mere couple of feet ahead of him and his group.

“You’re a good girl… Get on out of here,” he says to the grizzly with authority. The bear climbs up on long grass and sniffs into the air. Caleb continues watching, not moving. The bear continues getting closer and Caleb’s sweet words turn to reprimanding sounds “Ah, ah, ah… no closer” he says in a raspy voice.

The bear lunges forward in a bluff that Caleb is able to detect—he refrains from using his pistol and instead yells “Hey!” in a menacing, chilling voice. The bear, startled, backs off and keeps walking away toward the creek bed. Caleb walks and stomps forward, yelling at the bear to “Get!”

The bear, from a distance, turns its body toward the group again. Immediately, Caleb orders his group to get behind him and put their hands in the air. The man recording does as instructed, positioning himself just behind Caleb, with his camera still in hand.

The bear attempts to approach the group again, and Caleb’s voice grows into a roar as he yells at the bear to get out of there. The bear backs away, intimidated by the formation of the group and Caleb’s persistent growls and commands to leave. Then the video cuts.

Caleb used his ten years of experience to handle that situation, knowing what would happen in any version of the scenario, and putting himself at the front of his group to protect them and take action. Luckily, he didn’t need to use his pistol and was able to deter the bear—his group now has an amazing story with video proof to tell for the rest of their lives!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Perpis/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Angie Menjivar is a writer at A-Z-Animals primarily covering pets, wildlife, and the human spirit. She has 14 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology, and continues her studies into human behavior, working as a copywriter in the mental health space. She resides in North Carolina, where she's fallen in love with thunderstorms and uses them as an excuse to get extra cuddles from her three cats.

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