Most of us are amazed when we see videos of bears online or watch documentaries about them on TV. That is especially true of the grizzly bear, which is a powerful animal that lives in many parts of the United States. They are often seen in Alaska, where there are large populations of grizzly bears that roam through the wild and sometimes, even come down into populated areas. Most people appreciate the strength of a grizzly bear but they don’t want to come up against them in the wild.
Then again, there are some people who enjoy getting up close and personal with grizzly bears and the McNeil River gives them the opportunity to do it. It was proclaimed a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and then expanded again in 1993. We may see grizzly bears in many parts of the world but the McNeil River area is one of the only areas that allows humans to get close to those animals.
Drew Hamilton is one of those individuals, and he is employed as a tech worker for the state of Alaska Department of Fish and game. He was at the sanctuary to take pictures of grizzly bears and he had a close encounter that is beyond incredible. He was not a newbie when it comes to being around grizzly bears as he had done this for more than 12 years. He was just trying to have a relaxing moment when a large bear walked up next to him.
The grizzly bear was making his way to the river when he started to record it with his camera. The bear may have seemed to come out of nowhere but it didn’t seem as if it was annoyed with him. He just walked right up to look out over the river and even decided to take a seat next to a camping chair. Apparently, he just wanted to enjoy the scenery.
You can watch this close encounter in this amazing video and be thankful that you weren’t there with him:
