A video preceding a mother bear’s unforgiving attack has resurfaced on social media, with the fate of the men heard in the footage and the context of the fatal meeting now known.
The deadly encounter unfolded on Russia’s remote eastern Sakhalin Island ten years ago, but the video only recently resurfaced Monday.
This attack was one of many that struck Russia’s far east in 2014, driven by freak weather conditions and other abnormalities.
According to an August 2014 article from The Guardian, record high temperatures followed by out-of-place snow and hailstorms created a disruptive situation for the region’s massive bear population.
Coupled with human encroachment and activity, this created a perfect storm for bear attacks.
In one incident, a bruin smashed its way into a residential trailer of a meteorological station at 2 a.m. and began attacking the woman inside. She survived after the bear was scared away.
Just three days before that, a 14-year-old boy was walking home when he was ambushed by a bear and dragged away.
Authorities were able to shoot the bear dead, but the boy was left with 170 stitches and in critical condition after the savagery.
Another person in the Sakha Republic was saved when his cell phone made a loud noise and put the bear in flight.
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The three men with a cell phone in the recently re-viral story were not so lucky, and one ended up dying from the encounter, while two of their comrades survived — albeit mauled and with severe injuries. The phone was recording the encounter, however, and the video reveals exactly what went wrong.
The men, identified as construction workers, can be heard talking and laughing in the video’s background as a dog and brown bear cub charge each other. Soon, a second cub appears and the men seem undisturbed by it.
Some of you at home may realize where this is going.
The men did not, and only let out a few laughs as a hulking mother bear appeared behind the cubs.
The bear, of course, charged the men and their dog. As it closed the distance in the blink of an eye, the video cuts out. The resurfaced clip has so far seen over 6.2 million views.
WARNING: The following video contains imagery that some viewers may find disturbing.
Footage captured by a Russian construction worker on Sakhalin Island shows the final moments before a bear killed three men and left two others in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/V5vyyHdqhJ
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) August 19, 2024
The U.S. National Parks Service, while having no jurisdiction in Russia, still provides some sound advice when in bear country.
“Be especially cautious if you see a female with cubs,” the NPS warns, “never place yourself between a mother and her cub, and never attempt to approach them. The chances of an attack escalate greatly if she perceives you as a danger to her cubs.”
