Ever feel surprised or dismayed by what you see in the mirror? Then you might be able to relate to this American black bear, which caught its first-ever glimpse of its reflection a few months ago — and completely freaked out.
The incident happened last summer, and a local wildlife watcher managed to catch the moment on camera. The bear is minding its own business when it turns a corner into view of the hidden trail cam. It takes a quick glance upward, spots the mirror, and nearly jumps out of its skin. The bear stands up and dances around on its hind legs like a boxer. Then, it grabs the frame and tries to rip it off the tree. Eventually, the panic attack fades and the bear gives up and lumbers off.
The reaction was so funny and so relatable that thousands of people immediately shared the video. It soon went viral, racking up tens of thousands of views on Reddit and YouTube.
Now that bears are beginning to come out of hibernation, we figured it would be a great time to bring this back to the top of your feed. We know what we’re like catching ourselves in the mirror after a long nap. We can only imagine that bears feel the same.
This isn’t the only such stunt that wildlife watchers have pulled in the past. Also last year, a videographer installed a large mirror near a trail cam in the Pacific Northwest. In this case, the black bear wandered up, reviewed the new object with a healthy dose of skepticism and then proceeded to play peek-a-boo with itself for several minutes.
When the furry stranger in the mirror refused to go away, the black bear ultimately decided it was all just too much. Spooked, he ran off into the woods — back to where things were normal.
While bears frequently star on trail cams, wildlife experts recommend against playing too many pranks on them. The mirror trick is pretty funny, but it does disturb the bear in its natural habitat. If you can avoid stressing out the wildlife in your own backyard, you probably should.
