A relaxing moment outside after a work day brought a North Carolina man face-to-face with a black bear.
“I was a little frightened because it was right there, and I didn’t know what it would do,” he toldUSA Today.
In the video, Oppenheimer is shocked to spot the bear near his lounge chair. He flinches before grabbing the pillow in his lap as if preparing to defend himself.
“It was almost in front of me,” he told the outlet. “We immediately made eye contact.”
After a seconds-long standoff between the man and the bear in the clip, the bear walks off in the direction it came from.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Oppenheimer said that the same bear had been in his backyard earlier that same day. It ate out of a bird feeder and later attempted to steal from his neighbor’s trash can.
Bear sightings are a common occurrence across the state — which boasts one of the highest densities of the species in the world, according to the state’sWildlife Federation— and Oppenheimer said that black bears are often seen around his neighborhood. “We are all used to them,” he said. “They really don’t want to bother people.”
He added that it was the shock of the bear’s presence — and its proximity — that startled him the most. “If I saw it coming, I would be more calm.”
The state advises its residents to keep calm when in a bear’s presence and avoid approaching or feeding the animals.
source: people.com
