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Bear sneaks up on man in North Carolina
The Asheville man was relaxing on his patio, on his phone, oblivious to the creature strolling right up next to him. Video credit: David Oppenheimer via Storyful
A terrifying, once-in-a-lifetime encounter was caught on surveillance video in North Carolina last week.
David Oppenheimer was relaxing on his patio, on his phone – oblivious to the creature strolling right up next to him.
He looked over and saw that a bear had strolled casually onto his patio, just mere feet away from where he was lounging.
You can see on the video the moment David realizes what was happening.
He jumps up in surprise and clutches onto a pillow before freezing and locking eyes with the bear.
David and the bear stare each other down for a few tense moments. The bear lets out a low, disapproving growl and quickly darts off.
"The situation shown in the video was just that we caught each other off guard," David told Storyful. "It was a little frightening though because the bear kept looking at me."
Image: David Oppenheimer via Storyful
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David said that after a couple of seconds of eye contact he tried to move his eyes away from the animal’s.
"I think the bear was more puzzled than frightened and not aggressive," he said.
David said he encountered the same bear earlier in the day trying to eat from a bird feeder and attempting to knock over a neighbor's trash can.
He said several bears roam the neighborhood and are acclimated to being around people.
In fact, he joked on Facebook that he’s "been thinking for the last year or so to get a rear view mirror for the chaise."
This story was reported from Detroit. Storyful contributed.