Quick Take
- A bear's coat color might not mean what you think it does.
- One season sends bears toward town, and the reason is hiding in plain sight.
- Your instinct in a bear encounter could be the one move that makes things worse.
- The bear had somewhere to be, and the footage shows exactly how it left.
There’s delivering packages, and then there’s having a bear show up on your route. One Montana deliveryman found himself dealing with the second scenario when a large, brown-coated bear wandered along a sidewalk near a busy street.
The footage, shared by Melodee Hanes with the caption “Fall in Montana, just behind our office,” shows the bear moving past a brick building while a man stands nearby with what appears to be delivery equipment. Cars are passing on the street, and nothing about the setting suggests a typical wildlife encounter.
But the bear apparently has no intention of hanging around. After its unexpected sidewalk appearance, it darts across the street, turning an ordinary workday into a story the deliveryman probably won’t forget anytime soon.
[Manually embed the Facebook video here, after the opening paragraphs.]
A Bear in the Middle of Town?
Montana is home to both black bears and grizzly bears, although the species in this footage cannot be reliably identified from the available image. Despite the name, black bears can also have brown or cinnamon-colored coats.
Bears are especially active in the fall as they build up fat reserves ahead of winter. That means spending plenty of time searching for food, sometimes bringing them closer to neighborhoods, businesses, and other developed areas.
Of course, there’s no way to know exactly what brought this particular bear onto the sidewalk. Whatever its destination, it certainly picked an unusual route.
What Should You Do if a Bear Appears Nearby?
An encounter like this is a reminder that wildlife doesn’t always stay in the wilderness. Bears can occasionally turn up in places where people least expect them.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks advises people never to approach a bear or attempt to run away from one. If the animal is not acting aggressively, the safest approach is generally to give it plenty of room and slowly move away. Running can trigger a chase response.
Fortunately, the bear in this footage appears more interested in leaving the area than confronting the nearby deliveryman.
It’s not every day that a routine delivery comes with an unexpected wildlife sighting. Then again, in Montana, perhaps checking for bears should be part of the morning routine.
