This is the incredible moment a mother saved her baby girl from a bear after she excitedly ran towards the predator in their backyard.
The incredible footage showed Samantha Martin picking up her daughter, Juniper, after spotting a black bear cub running along a concrete path in their garden.
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“Juniper, come back inside,” Samantha was heard saying in home security footage at their Seattle home.
When mom Samantha realized what her daughter was looking for, she rushed to the door to get her.
“It’s a bear! the youngster shouted excitedly before sprinting towards the cub, whose predatory mother on top was probably nearby.
As soon as she took off, her mother rushed across the room and picked her up before the child was out of reach.
“I just freaked out. I didn’t really have many thoughts at the time, as much as bringing the kid back and going inside,” Samantha said. FOX 13.
“It was just a little bear, but my biggest concern wasn’t necessarily the baby bear, because I didn’t know where the mum was and I didn’t know how she would feel if two humans ran towards her baby. “
Juniper was watching a movie when she spotted the baby bear and it is believed she secretly unlocked the patio door and slipped away.
Samantha sprinted for the two-year-old as she ran towards the bear, her favorite creature after learning to identify them in children’s picture books.
Since then, Samantha has taught young Juniper about the dangers of bears and how they can interact with humans.
“I told him the bear was dangerous and we watched National Geographic,” Samantha said.
The family discovered that their furry intruders had eaten food from a now destroyed bird feeder on the patio, which they have now gotten rid of.
Samantha also had a child safety lock installed to prevent Juniper from running around alone again.
“I love birds, but I also don’t want bears to come into the yard continuously, so I don’t put birdseed back,” she said.
The family lives near a greenway and a local golf course known to be home to wildlife.
After the incident, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) alerted nearby residents, reminding them that the bears were now emerging from hibernation in search of food.
They are called upon not to leave food lying around outside.
“Bird feeders can be a real attractant to bears and other wildlife…take down your bird feeders in the spring,” said WDFW spokesperson Chase Gunnell.
Washington has an estimated black bear population of between 25,000 and 30,000.
State park officials advised anyone who encounters a bear not to run away, but rather to make its presence known by speaking in an assertive voice, singing or clapping your hands.
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