The Full Story Behind the Viral Video of the Bear Eating a Mexican Family’s Picnic
Having a face-to-face encounter with a wild animal can be a daunting experience. A Mexican family went viral after a bear surprised them, eating the food at their picnic table.
Ángela Chapa shared the video on her TikTok account, showing a woman dining with her child at San Pedro Garza García Park in Nuevo León, Mexico when a black bear surprised them.
The mother shields the minor’s face and embraces him, ensuring he doesn’t move to avoid catching the animal’s attention while it devours their tacos and enchiladas.
In an interview with mitú, Chapa shared the moment the picnic took an unexpected turn with their terrifying visitor.
Chapa said she focused on keeping the bear away from her friend and her son with Down syndrome
Chapa shared how she felt about the incident with mitú, revealing she wasn’t afraid, “Instead, I went on high alert to figure out how to shoo the bear away.”
She planned a picnic along with her friend Natalia, Silvia Macías, and her son Santiago Paredes to celebrate the teen’s 15th birthday. On their way there, they even contemplated an encounter with a bear and discussed remaining calm if that happened.
“Silvia was with her son Santiago, who has Down syndrome, so we needed a plan in case something happened of how to handle the situation with Santiago present,” she explained.
Adding, “I told them it was rare for this to happen. I’ve been going to the park my whole life, and it had never happened to me. We had been there for about 15 minutes,” when the bear was already on the table.
Chapa mentioned that from that moment, she and her friend Natalia distanced themselves. That’s when she started filming. She also tried to distract the bear with food.
“I’m filming while trying to figure out how to distract the bear. Then I see a plate with an enchilada,” she says. “I approach, grab it, put it in the bear’s snout, and toss the plate. None of this is visible in the video, but you can see the movement.”
After the stressful moment, they hid in the restroom until the bear left, picked up the trash, and left.
The family earned a social standing ovation for keeping calm, but nothing beats this mamá protecting her son
Social media users are astounded by this harrowing moment a mother experienced with her son. Some applauding how mothers are superheroes and their determination to protect their children:
“A mother’s love is enormous. I could cry. Look at how the boy feels safe with his mom. Look at mom facing fear,” wrote a TikTok user.
Many point out how stressful it was to watch the clip and how they kept calm to avoid a dangerous situation. “Congratulations to the mom for keeping calm and to the camera person for not being afraid,” wrote an Instagram user.
Another person added, “I would die, and the whole time watching this, my anxiety was at an all-time high while waiting to see if Mama Bear was coming next.”
Others think the camera angles are on point and how delicious Mexican food can be, even for a bear.
“National Geography. I heard you are all looking for courageous camera personnel. Look no further. This cameraman got all angles,” shared a TikTok user.
