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A woman had a close encounter with a grizzly bear while hiking in Montana’s Glacier National Park on July 4 — but insisted she would still “choose the bear” if it was between encountering a man or the beast in the wild.
The woman’s choice was a reference to the viral man vs. bear debate, which started in May when the TikTok account Screenshot HQ asked a group of woman if they would rather run into an unknown man or a bear.
Amanda Wylie was hiking on a trail in the Montana park when she noticed fresh bear tracks in the mud and roots that had been dug up. But she saw no immediate threat so continued walking.
"I listen for the birds and smaller animals to warn me of a bigger threat based on their actions," Wylie said in her post.
Then she saw a prairie dog leap from the right side of the trail to the left side. That’s when she looked to her right and saw a bear twice her size on “his hind legs, paws up.”
Wylie was prepared with bear spray and knew not to make any sudden movements.
“I took out my bear spray, got low and backed away slowly from the bear,” Wylie said. “I talked to him nice and once I felt a safe enough distance away, I got my phone out to record, wondering if these would be my last moments.”
In a video taken by Wylie, the bear walks towards her as she backs away saying, “You’re okay. Please don’t come here. Thank you. Please go.”
“It eventually shook his body, which let me know I could relax a little,” she explained. “Once he turned away, I rejoiced, knowing I would live to see another day and have an amazing encounter story to share.”
“After all is said and done, I’d still choose the bear,” she quipped.
In the viral video by Screenshot HQ, only one out of the seven women interviewed said they would prefer to meet an unknown man in the forest over a bear.
“Bear. Man is scary,” one of the women said.
Women across the world joined the conversation, many picking a bear over a man.
