A man scared off a huge bear at a beach in California last week, using a shovel to hit it over the head after the animal invaded their picnic area looking for a snack.
Footage of the unknown man who smacked the bear over the head with the shovel has since become a viral moment on social media.
The brown bear encountered the picnickers at Pope Beach in South Lake Tahoe, California.
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While onlookers recorded the bear going through coolers and walking around the picnic area, some can be heard shouting at it before the man stepped up to the plate.
At first, someone can be seen throwing a plastic chair at the bear, but the beast didn’t flinch. It was then that the shovel-wielding man began banging his weapon on the sand and a nearby picnic table.
The beast continued to search for food, but as the bear began to walk towards the man with the shovel, he quickly hit it over the nose, sending it running into the nearby woods.
“I was very surprised when the man hit the bear on the head with the shovel,” 18-year-old onlooker Derek Sears shared with the New York Post. “Living in Northern California, encountering bears is a normal thing. I actually saw two bears going through a dumpster last night. So I just stepped out of its way and thought it would make a cool video.”
Sears recorded the video that has since gone viral. In it, he can be heard complaining about his snacks being stolen.
“He took my cookie!” Sears can be heard saying. “Bro, I want my cookie back!”
Besides losing some cookies, no one was injured during the encounter.
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