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What do you say to a 22-stone wild bear when, alone and unarmed, you come face to face with it in the heart of the forest? My 20 years as a wildlife cameraman had certainly not furnished me with any useful suggestions. The mythology surrounding American black bears suggests that whatever you do manage to squeak out could be the last thing you ever say. Black bears attack more people than any other species, even more than grizzly bears. They were responsible for at least 40 known human fatalities in the last century.
So, when confronted by a large, muscular, sharptoothed hairy carnivore in the woods, choose your words with care. When it happened to me, what I actually said, very tentatively, was: 'Hey, bear.'
As possible last words go, or even just as a greeting, they were less than inspired. But then again, you have to - forgive me - bear in mind the fact that I was absolutely terrified.
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Wonderful story about trust between a wild animal and humans, but I just hope that if this animal reverts to it's natural behaviour and attacks one of this man's family, he doesn't shoot it
