# A bear was following him and he had no idea

> An elderly man shuffles down a BC sidewalk with a black bear at his heels, and strangers across the street have to shout the news.
- Title: A bear was following him and he had no idea · OutKick
- Summary: An elderly man shuffles down a BC sidewalk with a black bear at his heels, and strangers across the street have to shout the news. Bystanders can defuse a…
- Keywords: black bear, viral video, wildlife, british columbia, close call, news, politics, bear, following, him, idea, OutKick
- Source: OutKick — https://foxnews.com/outkick-culture/viral-video-shows-bystanders-warning-elderly-man-no-clue-hes-being-followed-huge-black-bear
- Author: Sean Joseph
- Published: 2026-09-13T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: black bear, viral video, wildlife, british columbia, close call, news, politics
## A walk, a bag, a bear
An elderly man shuffles along a sidewalk in British Columbia holding a bag, walking right past a black bear standing just feet away. He never notices it.

> minding his own business
## Strangers start shouting
A group across the street sees the bear trailing him and yells to get his attention. They stay put on their own sidewalk the whole time.
## The slowest getaway ever
He turns, looks at the bear, then picks up the pace. Which means he goes from nearly stopped, to fully stopped, to shuffling off as fast as his feet allow.

> he goes from almost standing still to actually standing still before taking off
## The noise worked twice
The shouting did not just reach the man. It was loud enough to make the bear turn around and lose interest in following him.

> They were loud enough to get the bear to turn around
## 35 million views later
Quail guy posted the clip on Instagram and it passed 35 million views. Watch how little space is between the man and the bear and the number makes sense.
## Roll the tape anyway
Someone filming it mattered too. If a close call goes sideways, the footage becomes game film for the next person who finds a bear behind them.

> you have some game film to study and learn from
## Key takeaway

Bystanders can defuse a wildlife close call without ever crossing the street. Voice carries, and it works on both parties.