A Florida resident has stunned the internet by sharing the shocking moment her dog had an unexpected standoff with a curious black bear that wandered up to her front door.
The close encounter quickly went viral on TikTok with more than 600,000 views and shocked reactions from viewers.
Krista Greener lives in Naples, Florida, and shared the moment online with the caption: "Was literally just about to walk out the door to go pick up the kids—Florida wildlife at its finest!" In her TikTok video, she added, "POV: You were just about to go pick up the kids when you see this at the front door!"
In the video, Greener's dog stood firm, staring at the bear as it seemed to inspect the home's entryway. The video was later re-shared online where it was dubbed a "heart-stopping" encounter. The meeting between the bear and dog left viewers captivated and nervous for Greener and her pet.
Viewer LuluLily2996 from Scotland said: "I could NEVER live in an area where bears roamed freely, thank goodness I live in a wee Scottish town." While another user, Fuller Funny Farm, wrote: "Me screaming lock the door the whole time."
Julie_D joked: "This distribution system is getting out of hand... I thought we were all getting cats," while Virginia West quipped: "Ask the bear to pick the kids up."
The black bear is the only species of bear found in Florida, and their population has steadily expanded, leading to a rise in human-bear interactions. Since the 1980s, the bear population has grown alongside the human population, with Florida's population skyrocketing from 5 million residents in 1960 to more than 20 million today. As urban development continues to encroach on remote areas, increasing encounters between humans and wildlife are to be expected.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida is home to an estimated 4,050 black bears.
Adult males usually weigh between 250 and 350 pounds, though they can get much larger. Female bears, generally smaller, weigh about 130 to 180 pounds. While primarily herbivorous, with about 80 percent of their diet consisting of plants, they occasionally consume insects and small animals.
On its website, the FWC remind residents: "The presence of bears is not necessarily a problem or a threat to your safety. But it is important to remember that bears are wild animals and deserve respect. If you are not careful, you could break the law and risk both your own safety and the bear's."
Feeding bears is illegal in Florida, and the FWC warns residents to secure garbage, pet food and bird seed and keep livestock secure with electric fencing.
Newsweek reached out to Greener via TikTok for comment.
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