Ninja Bear Surprises Photographer in Yellowstone
A photographer got a surprise from a “ninja bear” after it crept up on him while shooting photos in Yellowstone Park.
Ron Sterbenz and a friend were searching for wolves and bison and were not paying much attention to a black bear grazing on the hillside.
“That morning a friend sent me a text by inReach that two wolves were trying to take down a bison yearling high on the northwest slope from the bridge,” explains Sterbenz in the YouTube video above.
“Carrying two cameras, I left one recording while we searched the hillside with our scope and binoculars looking for any activity at all.”
Sterbenz could see nothing other than a “pretty uninteresting” black bear that can be seen in the video eating grass below them.
“No wolves or bison. Our only option was to head east to “Wrecker” pullout to look for wolves on the west hillside,” says Sterbenz.
“I set up my camera tripod so I could first place my scope in the car and then remove my camera from the head, my camera was still recording.”
As Sterbenz busies himself with his camera equipment, the bear is suddenly much closer to them, far too close, spooking the pair.
“There’s a bear right there,” Sterbenz can be heard saying on the video. “Yeah, a ninja bear,” replies his friend.
“I don’t know where he came from. Holy smokes, I have no idea where that bear came from.”
Sterbenz and his friend quickly moved away from the scene to give the bear more space. But no sooner had the bear appeared, it disappeared just as quickly — adding more ninja intrigue.
A confused Sterbenz can be heard saying “I don’t know if it’s the same bear” as he films the ursidae sprinting away from them on a bridge.
“We all safely parted ways,” adds Sterbenz.
Sterbez, who operates Yellowstone Video, stresses that he records animal behavior and does not “approach any animal and allow nature to take its course.”
PetaPixel recently reported on visitors to Yellowstone getting far too close to bison in pursuit of a photo or selfie.
