Watch the Scariest Animal Video This Year as a Rock Climber Fights a Bear

This video opens with a man looking down as he descends carefully on a cliffside. He has just finished climbing Mt. Futago in Chichibu, Japan. Already he’s not in a great position to experience what he’s about to. As he reaches down to keep descending, he looks back up to see a black bear barreling toward him. You hear his gasp of shock — a guttural sound that sends chills down your spine.

Unsuspecting Rock Climber

You have the perspective of the man, and the scene keeps your mouth open in horror. He’s in such a vulnerable position and though he immediately starts screaming bloody murder, he keeps his wits about him enough to fight. You can almost feel his panic as he does what he is supposed to. He starts yelling loudly to keep the bear away.

As soon as the bear approaches him, its nose is right in front of him. It happens so fast. If you pause the video, there is a brief moment when the bear takes up the whole screen — its mouth is open as if ready to bite. In a defensive move, the man puts his arm out against the bear to keep it away from his body. The bear doesn’t seem to have great footing and falls behind the man onto a small ledge. The man even manages to push the bear’s body away as it falls down.

Prepare to Fight Back

The man continues screaming out from his core as the bear gets up and tries to go back for him. This is unusual behavior for a black bear. They are not typically aggressive toward humans. The man is balancing on the side of this cliff, looking down at this huge black bear, in complete shock, and in survival mode.

The bear approaches and the man punches and kicks its face repeatedly. Luckily, the bear retreats and the man adjusts his footing to get a little bit higher and a little bit further away from the bear. The bear tries coming back yet again and the man has not stopped screaming at the top of his lungs.

It’s a horrifying encounter. Finally, the man is able to scare the bear away. Instead of continuing with his descent, he smartly decides to climb back up. He takes a couple of steps upward and further away from the bear, holding onto rocks as he climbs. The video ends with the sound of his heavy breathing, as he tries to recover from what is likely the scariest moment of his life.

Up Next, More Chilling Bear Encounters:

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• Alaskan Man Is a Different Breed and Stares Down Charging Grizzly Easily
• Five Grizzlies Run Straight at a Pair of Hunters