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This is the heart-stopping moment a man stopped an aggressive charging bear with his bear spray outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home over Fourth of July.
Footage showed Cortlandt Koerwitz, from Sacramento, walk outside his house to check on a bear he said his daughter spotted digging in the garbage.
Koerwitz is seen with the spray in his right hand at the ready as he exited the property. He quickly spots the charging bear out of the corner of his eye and sprays it with the orange fog.
The bear is then seen turning around and fleeing.
Koerwitz described the terrifying experience to KCRA. He said the bear spray even hit him in his eyes.
“I just kind of caught something out of my left eye, and it was the bear rushing in. We were both startled, and I just shot the spray. And the overspray from that, you know, the shot hit me and hit my eyes,” Koerwitz said.
He said that bears are common in the Lake Tahoe area and often get into cars or trash looking for food.
But he noted the bear’s aggressive behavior is unusual. He advises people to seal their garbage cans, keep food out of their cars, and stay alert.
The near-attack happened in Tahoma, an area along the Lake Tahoe shore. He posted the video on his Instagram with the caption: “I’ve had people ask if this is Ai. Ha ha no,” he wrote.
“The bear had gotten into our garbage earlier and was aggressive toward my daughter and her friends when they startled it. And we had ice chests out with food and drinks for boating. But I’ve never had one charge me.”
California has 60,000 to 80,000 black bears, with Lake Tahoe home to the second-highest density of black bears in the state, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Anyone who encounters a bear is advised to contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (916) 358-2917.
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