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Wild Bear Decides To Join Family For A Picnic

Wild Bear Decides To Join Family For A Picnic

A real life Yogi Bear enjoyed a peanut butter sandwich courtesy of the stunned group.

Simon Catling

Simon Catling

A family trying to have a quiet and enjoyable countryside getaway found themselves face to face with a real life Yogi Bear last year who - much like the cartoon character - was deeply interested in the contents of their picnic basket.

Kaitlyn Nesbit and her family had sat down at a picnic table last summer when a wild black bear joined them.

Clearly grateful for the company, the bear was also up for taking a lunch break was more than happy to wolf down a peanut butter sandwich that one of the party made it.

In fact, it ate it right out of their hands which many would say makes that person incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Maybe both.

Nesbit - a bridal store manager - had posted the video on TikTok. In the clip, surrounding onlookers are heard expressing their shock as one member of the group fixes the bear a peanut butter sandwich.

Caters/@Kaitlynnesbit

The group are, however, careful to take down their stack of beers.

There's only so much generosity you can extend when hosting a wild bear for lunch after all.

"This is a f***ing joke, right?" someone nearby perhaps somewhat understandably comments. But Nesbit said she'd heard of the bear being around before.

She said: "This was a friend's cabin and they said that the bear is always around and never really bothers them.

"Some of our group are used to being out in the wild so we were all told to not make sudden movements and stay where we were. Most of us were scared to death and filmed from the deck but the brave tested their luck."

Caters/@Kaitlynnesbit

The group's actions were criticised on social media by people who warned that bears shouldn't be fed in this manner - both for their own safety and for the safety of humans.

In fact, it's actually illegal to feed bears in Maryland in order that they don't start to associate people with food and then become a problem and/or threat for local residents.

According to advice issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, people are meant to scare black bears away if they come into a camp looking for food.

The advice reads: "DON'T FEED IT! Scare it away. Make loud noises, bang pans, or yell.

"Seeing bears can be very enjoyable. However, having a bear in camp can lead to problems that will persist long after you have gone home.

"If a problem becomes serious, your safety and the bear's safety may become jeopardized."

This group undeniably got some great selfies out of the mad encounter, but it could've turned to tragedy pretty easily.

Featured Image Credit: Caters/@Kaitlynnesbit