This courageous encounter between two dogs and a family of grizzly bears in a backyard storage shed in Canada took place at this precise moment.
Last Saturday, Whitecourt, Alberta resident Marjie Whitehead was watering plants in her greenhouse when she spotted the ravenous bears and sprinted for safety.
The family’s two pet dogs refused to come inside when she tried to call them, insisting instead on defending the house from the intruders.
The bears can be seen eating dog food in the root cellar in encounter video as the dog barks and gets closer to them.
Whitehead can be heard growing more upset as she worries about the safety of her dogs in the video, which has received over 12,200 views.
She repeatedly says, “I tried, but they won’t listen to me.” Her husband, who is on the other end of the phone, said: “I don’t know what to do. I tried to get them up on the top deck but they just won’t listen.” You keep yourself safe,” which fills Whitehead with even more fear, prompting him to scream, “They’re going to go after the dogs.”
Later on in the 51-second video, she is heard saying that she needs to get her gun.
Whitehead posted online that the bears were unconcerned and carried on devouring the supplies despite the two warning shots fired into the air. They didn’t leave until a neighbor named Sean Gurnsey drove his car in their direction, which she claims “scared” them a little.
Additional shots were fired by him and his son as well, enabling their daughter Alannah to save the dogs.
They showed such a lack of concern for the dogs and the noise. He stated to CBC Radio Canada that they had no fear of anything. But after making their way to a nearby creek, the bears came back two hours later.
They caused damage to Whitehead’s property and left paw prints on the side of the house. Whitehead stated: “They returned… Our siding’s corner trim was damaged, and they left paw prints on the side of our house. In addition to destroying the area around our root cellar. I’ve had the chills all day! ‘
This year, Whitehead and Gurnsey have seen numerous grizzly and black bears near their properties.
It’s the first time we’ve seen that in 29 years, she told CBC. So, right now, it’s very unsettling. We seem to be all tense around here. These bears have been spotted by every neighbor.
“They have been in people’s yards and up on people’s decks.”
Ina Lucila, a spokesperson for Alberta Fish and Wildlife, told the website that places like these towns, cities, and urban areas are evolving into natural habitat for wildlife.
So it is not unusual for residents to see wildlife in our communities, she told CBC. Bears are seeking food, particularly at this time of year, to bulk up before hibernating.
On Wednesday morning, agency officers set traps and managed to catch three bears.
They are not certain if they are the same bears that were discovered on the Whitehead property. They will now decide if bears need to be killed for the sake of public safety, according to CBC.
“Having a grizzly bear in an urban area is a serious public safety concern, especially when the animal is not afraid of people or approaches them voluntarily,” said Lucila.
“Bears that behave in this way pose a higher risk of causing harm or death to humans.” For these reasons, officers might need to decide to kill the bear in order to safeguard the public’s safety in the future.
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