Watch The Moment When a Bear Waves at a Family Driving By

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Written by Hannah Crawford

Published: December 18, 2023

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Large Kodiak bear
© Lisa Stoorza/Shutterstock.com

It’s difficult to pass by any animal without saying hello to them. There’s just something so special about seeing animals anywhere you go. Whether it be on your way inside a grocery store and seeing a cat outside, hiking up a mountain and seeing a bunny rabbit scurry by, or even seeing a deer in the road as you pass by. Well, let’s just say this family’s day was made when this bear seemed to say “hello” back to them as he waved in the video above. 

Waving Bear Sighting in Washington

The YouTube video shown at the beginning of this blog post takes us to Washington. The YouTube poster comments they went to see the waving bears. This looks to be the famous waving bears that can be seen at the Olympic Game Farm in Clallam County, Washington. This video was filmed and shared by Samson Lee’s page. And he added this video where his family went on this great adventure to see a waving bear. 

Bear Waving at Family Driving By

At the beginning of this video shown above we see that this giant brown bear is in an enclosure. This self-guided tour allows people to drive through to see the various animals that are present at this zoo. This zoo offers many different animals such as Tibetan yaks, zebras, Roosevelt elk, Sika deer, American bison, and the famous Kodiak bear that we can see in the video. 

The family stops once they reach the bear section. We can see the woman in the passenger seat waving at the bear and trying to get his attention. The bear hikes up on his hind legs, and it’s at that point we can see how massive he truly is. According to the US Forest Service, “A bear may stand on its hind legs to get a better look or to pick up your scent if it cannot tell what you are.” 

As this bear got a good sense that this family was merely here to say hi. We see him start to wave. But, we have to say this wave is rather hilarious. It’s almost as if he’s waving them to keep on moving down the road. Then the woman tosses a piece of bread out and the bear catches it in his right hand like he’s playing baseball! 

How Big is a Kodiak Bear?

kodiak vs grizzly

Kodiak bears are omnivore eaters.

©iStock.com/Jess Bray

There are eight species of bears (Ursidae). And the Kodiak bear just happens to be the largest bear in the world, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game states. And upon seeing just how large they really are, it’s not that difficult to believe. 

These bears are typically eight feet tall and can weigh 1,400 pounds. However, male Kodiak’s are known to be over 10 feet tall and weigh 1,500 pounds. In addition to their tremendous size, the Kodiak’s paw is massive, to say the least. Their claws can reach up to six inches in length!

So, as we can see it’s no surprise to see that these bears are indeed the largest of all bear species. 


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About the Author

Hannah Crawford is a writer at A-Z Animals where she focuses on reptiles, mammals, and locations in Africa. Hannah has been researching and writing about animals and various countries for over eight years. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication\Performance Studies from Pensacola Christian College, which she earned in 2015. Hannah is a resident in Florida, and enjoys theatre, poetry, and growing her fish tank.

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