A Wild Black Bear Casually Joined This Family’s Picnic, and They Pretty Much All Just Chilled

A family in Maryland peacefully shared some time in the great outdoors with a wild black bear after the creature decided to join them for a picnic, and the amazing scene was all caught on video.

Kaitlyn Nesbit, 29, was with her family on Aug. 6 in Deep Creek enjoying some cold beers at a picnic table near a cabin when the wild black bear sidled up to the group and sat with them.

Rather than panicking and causing a ruckus, however, the family remained calm and even snapped a few selfies with the massive bear.

“This was a friend’s cabin and they said that the bear is always around and never really bothers them,” Nesbit, who manages a bridal store, told Caters.

In footage of the incident Nesbit posted to TikTok, the bear can be seen nonchalantly dining on a peanut butter sandwich straight from one of the men’s hands while other members of the family sit there and do their best to appear unperturbed.

A second man then starts to prepare another sandwich for the bear while the group carefully hides away their beers to make sure their visitor doesn’t make off with the cold suds.

“Some of our group are used to being out in the wild so we were all told to not make sudden movements and stay where we were,” Nesbit added. “Most of us were scared to death and filmed from the deck but the brave tested their luck.” 

The bald and shirtless man with the bandana even dared to tap the creature on its nose – and managed to get away with the bold move.

In the meantime, onlookers were in disbelief over the incident, asking at one point: “This is a f**king joke, right?”

This being 2020, naturally the group’s actions were roundly criticized by social media users who pointed out that bears shouldn’t be treated so carelessly or fed in such a manner – both for their own safety and for the safety of people.

In Maryland, it’s also against the law to feed wild bears so that they don’t become overly reliant on humans for food and start thinking it’s somehow normal to just barge in on local residents in the expectation that they’ll find some tasty reward.

While many of us might think it would be great to hang out and knock back a few suds with a big, furry bear, this likely wouldn’t end up like some adult version of Winnie the Pooh. Instead, such a lax attitude would more likely end up with someone getting mauled.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has also issued advice warning residents of how to respond in case they encounter a black bear.

“DON’T FEED IT! Scare it away,” the advice reads. “Make loud noises, bang pans, or yell. Seeing bears can be very enjoyable. However, having a bear in camp can lead to problems that will persist long after you have gone home. If a problem becomes serious, your safety and the bear’s safety may become jeopardized.”