Photobomb: Bear Wanders in As Reporter Teases Another Animal Story Live On-Air

The black bear (Ursus americanus) is one of those modern critters that do very well around people. Our gardens and our trash cans (and, occasionally, our pets) provide convenient food sources, and sometimes our structures provide them with a handy place to sleep away the winter. Sometimes, though, one bear can get aggressive, or might even try to eat us.

In California, a reporter from a local station, KTLA-TV, was filming a piece on a bear that was suspected of having taken a swipe at a human, when she had an unexpected photobomber - another bear.

She could bearly maintain her composure.

A TV news reporter was delivering a live segment about a bear encounter in California when a bear wandered into the camera frame behind her.
Erin Myers, a reporter for KTLA-TV, was broadcasting live from a Monrovia neighborhood on Sunday morning and teasing an upcoming story about bear encounters in the area when a bruin emerged from next to a garage and a parked trailer.

Remaining calm was the right thing to do. The structure on the trailer was a trap, presumably baited, that was set to attract a bear that was living in a crawlspace under a home - very likely the one in the shot.

KTLA's Megan Telles spotted the bear and tossed the broadcast back to Myers, who monitored the animal from a safe distance.
"You can see the bear actually walking into the trap, or no, it was going to, but now it's walking out," Myers says in the footage.
Myers later said it was the second time she had been interrupted by a bear during live broadcast.

It's a good thing she took a paws to reflect on that. Although such encounters are generally unfurgettable.

The trap had been set for a bear believed to be living underneath a neighborhood home. A bear was reported to have swiped at a woman who was walking with her dog on Oakglade Drive during the weekend.
Wildlife officials confirmed the bear responsible for the attack was captured and euthanized.

It's easy to feel sad about the euthanasia part of the tale, but once a bear starts associating humans with food, it's likely to end badly, for either the bear or a human. Better it be the bear. They are furmidible animals, and most humans, especially in California, aren't really equipped to deal with them.

Under the Floorboards: Altadena Man Hosts Bear Nightmare

Here's the odd thing: Black bears are less likely to attack a human than a grizzly bear (we have both right around here, although they are still sleeping right now) but when a black bear does attack, they are more likely to be attacking out of predatory intent. In other words, a grizzly might bum-rush you because it has cubs nearby, or it's feeding on a carcass nearby, or you just happened along at the wrong moment and annoyed it. That griz may kill you, or it may just beat you up and leave you. Neither is good, but a black bear is more likely to be trying to eat you, and they eat the soft parts first; I'll leave that to your imagination.

This reporter, Erin Myers, kept her head and handled it pretty well. Here's the video; you can see how she handles it when possible trouble was bruin.

Give her props for keeping her cool!

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