(NewsNation) — Tourists out for a leisurely hike and bear-watching trip in Alaska got a lot more than they paid for when a 700-pound brown bear charged the group, forcing the guide to respond by growling and charging back.
Martin Boland and his daughter Samatha joined “On Balance With Leland Vittert” to discuss their experience caught in a viral video posted June 17 to their Instagram account.
In addition to his newfound internet fame, Martin Boland is a long-time guide with Scenic Bear Viewing.
He was leading a guided bear tour in Chinitna Bay on Lake Clark’s Cook Inlet when the incident occurred.
The video shows the tour group calmly observing a pair of brown bears in close proximity.
Unexpectedly, one of the bears begins to charge toward the group. In response, Boland can be seen — and heard — growling back at the charging animal.
Boland waits until the bear begins to back off before taking a few steps forward, causing the bear to retreat and run away.
When asked if this is something “that you normally do” when bears charge at you, Boland said, “he was coming so fast I knew I had to do something extreme — and loud.”
Boland said he also carries a marine flare in case of any unwanted interaction.
“It glows really bright, and it makes a lot of noise,” he said. “I just didn’t have time to pull it out of my pocket.”
Boland called the bear’s aggressive action a “bluff charge.”
“Bluff charging is rare,” ” he said. “But … over the past nine years, I’ve been bluff charged 25 or 30 times.”
Boland stressed in the Instagram post that one should “never run from a charging bear, even though your instinct is to run.”
“Don’t get close to bears in the wild,” he wrote. “Make sure you have an experienced guide with you.”