After having lived in the suburbs, in a busy city’s downtown, and in a small town in the hills, I can understand why people enjoy living in the countryside. Two-lane roads are a lot less overwhelming than six-lane highways, and who doesn’t love seeing a baby deer on their way to work?
However, when you live somewhere truly isolated, like a cabin in the forest, coexisting with animals is a given, too. This can come as a shock to some, but for ‘mountain man’ @stevenson_t, it feels perfectly natural to see black bears wandering near, and even on, his property.
The homeowner shares his black bear encounters on TikTok, but one particular interaction with a curious black bear cub on June 4 left everyone laughing out loud. The bold little bear helps themself to the man’s morning coffee!
@stevenson_t “ She likes coffee ☕️ “ A typical morning on my porch with Snickerdoodle and her cubs 🐻 #blackbear #bearcubs #bear #bearlove #mountainlife
OMG, I’ve never seen a bear cub drinking coffee before! It seems like the little one likes what they taste, considering how many times they came back for more. If the close proximity and little paw dip into the coffee weren’t convincing enough, that eye contact sealed the deal.
This curious cub reminds me of my dogs attempting to help themselves to everything I eat or drink, but I wouldn’t stop a bear the same way I would stop my dog. A morning coffee is nice, but it’s not worth risking an angry mama bear!
Related: Alaskan Military Base Surprised By 2 Bears Who Broke Into Krispy Kreme Donut Van
I can hardly believe that someone casually interacts with black bear cubs like this. They’re literally face to face! Clearly, the bears have been seeing him regularly since birth, so he’s just another pal, but it’s hard to believe that Mama Bear is just as friendly.
“This is her second litter,” the bear whisperer replied to a commenter. “She brings them right up to meet me.” That’s simply magical! It must have taken years for this man to build a trusting relationship with these wild animals, but his patience and hard work paid off adorably.
Black Bears v. Brown Bears
As many commenters pointed out, this interaction would have gone very differently if these cubs were brown bears. Avoiding close interactions with all bears is a great rule of thumb, but if you do happen upon a bear in the wild, you’d better hope it’s a black bear like the ones in this video.
Both types of bears tend to avoid human interaction when necessary, but black bears can be more easily intimidated and are more likely to run away when frightened. Brown bears (including grizzly bears), on the other hand, are more likely to attack.
Luckily for this man, he’s made friends with a trusting family of black bears who are just as willing to coexist as he is. I hope their safe interactions continue for as long as possible!
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