US mum saves child from getting mauled by a bear in own backyard
The curious toddler was chasing the bear through the backyard but when her “scared” mum realised what was happening she jumped into action.
A US woman is going viral after valiantly saving her toddler from potentially getting mauled by a mother black bear in her backyard.
A video of the harrowing moment currently boasts 3.2 million views on TikTok with gawkers lauding her ability to think quickly in the face of danger.
“I was scared and started cussing like a sailor,” Samantha Martin told Storyful of the heart-stopping incident, which occurred outside their home in Redmond.
In the extended footage, which was caught on a home security camera, the woman’s young daughter Juniper can be seen walking toward the backyard after spotting a small black bear that’s scrambling along their patio wall.
All of a sudden, the child — apparently excited by the backyard bear sighting — runs outside to join her furry friend while excitedly squealing, “That’s a bear.”
According to Martin, Juniper had recently been reading an animal identification book and said that bears were her favourite animal.
Fortunately, Martin was able to save the day.
Upon realising what was happening, the quick-thinking mum sprinted outside and scooped up the wannabe Mowgli, before running her back to the house with her daughter tucked under her arm like a football.
“Juniper come back inside, there’s a bear outside,” exclaims the distraught mum while carrying her wayward toddler indoors.
“It started running across the fence and she chased it,” said Martin while describing the white-knuckle incident to Fox 13 News.
“I just panicked. I didn’t really have a lot of thoughts in the moment so much as get the child and get back inside.”
The panicked parent said she wasn’t afraid of the “little baby bear,” which ran off amid the commotion, but feared that the mother could’ve been lurking nearby.
“I didn’t know where the mum was and didn’t know how she’d feel about two humans running towards her baby,” said Martin.
The bear was reportedly initially attracted to the family bird-feeder, which it had ripped down and emptied, according to the mother.
“Bird feeders can provide a real attractant for bears and other wildlife,” said Chase Gunnell, Puget Sound Region communications manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
He added that it was important that people “take down their feeders” during the springtime, when hungry bears are emerging from their winter dens in search of calories.
In light of the close call, Martin said she’s “not putting the bird seed back up.”
The vigilant parent has also made sure to educate her child about wildlife.
“I did tell her the bear was dangerous, and we’ve been watching National Geographic,” said Martin, who plans to childproof the patio door to prevent future interspecies playdates.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is reproduced here with permission
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