Comedy moment bear casually strolls past wildlife photographer lying in wait for the perfect shot… in the opposite direction
- Belgian photographer Edgard Berben was looking at a family of bears fishing
- The 56-year-old said 'it felt like heaven' to be so close to the creature afterwards
A wildlife photographer couldn't believe his luck when a brown bear casually roamed past him as he faced the other way while waiting for the perfect picture.
The adult bear was filmed plodding past 56-year-old Belgian photographer Edgard Berben, who was laid prone to take photographs of an unrelated family of bears at Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Although this seems like a petrifying moment, brown bears tend to only attack humans if they feel threatened, so the photographer could be glad that he was in such a submissive position.
And he felt privileged for the event to have happened, saying: 'It was extraordinary because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It felt like heaven.'
Edgard Berben was so focused on getting the perfect photo of a family of bears in the opposite direction that he missed the one walking right past him
Fortunately his friend was just feet away to catch the moment on his phone
Mr Berben was so focused on snapping images of different bears catching salmon leaping up one of the park's waterfalls that he did not notice this one sneaking up behind him.
Fortunately, his friend was on hand to catch the moment on his phone from just ten yards away.
The bear was as close as three feet from the photographer as it walked past him.
'Usually, there was always a safe distance of 82 feet,' he said.
'But sometimes there can be a close encounter of several feet between human and bear - to even just one foot.
'That moment captured in the video felt like the purest form of interaction between animal and human.'
Mr Berben said 'it felt like heaven' to be so close to such a creature
Wildlife watchers are not always so lucky when coming into contact with the huge predators.
In June, also in Alaska, a group of tourists had to scream at a grizzly bear to put it off after the beast had charged towards them.
In Katimi, where Mr Berben had his sighting, there are estimated to be about 2,200 resident brown bears.
The species tends to hibernate in November, so the photographer saw the family that were fishing making a late attempt to stock up on energy ahead of the winter months.
Conveniently, for brown bears more than salmon, this coincides with the fish's migration pattern.
Most watched News videos
- Scottish woman has temper tantrum at Nashville airport
- Tesla Cybertruck explodes in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas
- Mass panic as New Orleans attacker flies down Bourbon street
- Shocking moment zookeeper is fatally mauled by lions in private zoo
- Horrific video shows aftermath of New Orleans truck 'attack'
- Meghan Markle celebrates new year in first Instagram video
- Tesla Cybertruck burns outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas
- See how truck that drove into crowd made it through police barrier
- Cheerful Melania Trump bops to YMCA at Mar-a-Lago NYE bash
- New Orleans terror attack suspect reveals background in video
- Plane passenger throws drink at flight attendant in boozy fight
- Horrifying moment yacht crashes into rocks and sinks off Mexico coast