US man gets into water with feeding bears to take a selfie

  • 17/08/2018

A US man is facing charges after he got into the water with feeding bears to take a selfie at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

He was one of three men that used an emergency exit to leave a viewing platform and enter a stream where at least seven bears were catching salmon.

Video shows the man wading into the water to take photos of the bears and turning around to take a selfie.

Bystanders and people watching a livestream of the bears contacted the authorities, who were unimpressed with the group's conduct.

"People need to recognise that these are wild brown bears. These visitors are lucky that they escaped the situation without injury," said Supt Mark Strum.

"The possible consequences for the bears and themselves could have been disastrous."

Approaching within 50 yards (45m) of a bear using a concentrated food source is prohibited in order to allow bears to access food before winter and prevent "negative bear-human contact".

A spokesperson for the National Park told the Anchorage Daily News the men had been contacted and criminal charges against the three were currently being finalised.

They were unable to confirm if the men had been drinking before wandering into the water. 

Newshub.