Photo: NPS Photo / Daniel A. Leifheit (CC BY 2.0)
The National Park Service (NPS) has an important message for the public: “If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.” Anyone who has ever been the “slower friend” can sigh with relief that the NPS has their back via a viral tweet.
While it may seem like just a funny tweet, it was actually just the opener for a helpful thread about bear safety advice. Aas the NPS points out, bears are friend-shaped, but they aren’t our friends. “Seeing a bear in the wild is a special treat for any visitor to a national park. While it is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears in national parks are wild and can be dangerous.”
The timely message comes just as spring is about to arrive and many bears will become more active. Bears have attacked folks before, including a mountain climber in Japan and a Vermont woman hiking with her dog in the fall of 2022. (Her brave Jack Russell terrier saved the day.) So, while it’s fun to vote for the chonky champion of Fat Bear Week and admire the animal’s ability to take selfies, the NPS has published an important guide on how to stay safe around bears.
To cap off the educational—and funny—tweet thread, the NPS Twitter account took the time to reply to some burning questions from fellow users. Including, perhaps, the most pertinent one: What if you’re in the woods and you are the slower friend? To that, the NPS says, “Check in on the friendship before you head to the woods.”
Spring is about to arrive, and many bears will be more active. The National Park Service (NPS) wants to make sure you’re prepared.
Photo: NPS Photo / Daniel A. Leifheit (CC BY 2.0)
It made a viral tweet reminding us to never push down our slower friend if there’s a bear sighting.
If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) February 28, 2023
This funny tweet led to a longer thread of tweets about bear safety tips.
When spring arrives and the snow begins to melt, many bears become more active. Find bear safety tips at: https://t.co/SFBTo6hVR1
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) February 28, 2023
But it wasn’t all serious. The account replied to some burning questions from fellow users.
Check in on the friendship before you head to the woods.
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) February 28, 2023
Do you consider yourself the faster or slower of the two friends?
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) February 28, 2023
What if you’re the slower friend?
— Doug Jones (@Bprtch) February 28, 2023
What if I want to push my friend over but it actually has nothing to do with the bear?
— Patrick Barron 🐻🦬🏈 (@BlueBarronPhoto) March 1, 2023
h/t: [Neatorama]
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