Watch This Panicked Hiker Learn The Hard Way That Grizzly Bears Can Climb Trees

A human’s survival instinct takes many forms. For some, freezing is a natural response while others are mid-sprint before they realize they’ve started running. In the video below, a man decides his best bet is to climb a tree — he soon learns grizzlies can climb trees too.

Witness The Complete Video Below!

Why Do Grizzly Bears Know How To Climb Trees?

Considering how huge grizzly bears are (up to 600 pounds and nine feet when standing upright), you’d think they don’t, evolutionarily speaking, need to learn how to climb trees. They dominate their environments with their size alone, not to mention their claws and teeth. If they want to make a meal out of you, they do so without thinking twice about it.

However, grizzlies climb trees for a variety of reasons. They may have scared prey up a tree but they don’t let that deter them. They still claw at the tree to make their way toward what they want. Due to their size, however, they’re not as good at it as their black bear counterparts. That doesn’t mean they won’t try!

Would A Grizzly Attack A Human?

It’s not so much that grizzly bears actively hunt humans as part of their prey. It’s just that they’re wild animals and that means they’re wildly unpredictable. Attacks on humans have happened but to be fair, they are rare. Grizzlies may respond to perceived threats in an aggressive and violent manner and when food is scarce, all bets are off. It’s a matter of survival. Grizzly mothers, like other bears, traveling with their cubs may be quicker to the draw since there is more at stake for them.

Hiker And Tree vs. Grizzly                                                             

As soon as the clip below starts, there’s already a hiker making his way up a tall tree with a huge grizzly in close pursuit. The man has made it up onto the lowest branch and is holding on to it with his two hands as he tries to make his way up higher. The grizzly stands next to the tree, pawing close to the man’s feet.

Even though the man has made it quite high on that tree for a human, for a grizzly, it’s like fruit-picking distance from the ground. The bear paws at and takes a few nips at the man’s feet as he continues to climb. He makes his way up higher and has more branches to keep him steady. The grizzly makes a few attempts to climb after him. Eventually, it gives up and lands back on the ground.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/ErikMandre