The encounter took place in Monterrey, Mexico as three women were hiking on a local trail.
The black bear approached the women, sniffed them and then stood up on its hind legs. At that point, it almost looked like the bear gave one of the women a good old fashion bear hug!
The women remained calm, but at one point, while the bear was sniffing the leg of one of the women – she flinched. This startled the bear and he swatted at her leg, gently, but enough to let her know that he/she wasn’t impressed.
Every situation is different, but below are guidelines on how brown bear attacks can differ from black bear attacks.