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Man films a giant bear that suddenly gets an itch he has to scratch
I didn't realize bears could get this huge! 😮
D.G. Sciortino
09.30.20

When Mike Fitz goes camping, he wants to see some bears.

So, it didn’t matter that it was lightly raining over Brooks Camp on the fourth day of his trip.

“Rain falling on a tent is the least motivating sound in the world and I heard it off and on through my last night in the Brooks Camp Campground. But by dawn, the rain nearly ceased and since this was my last morning to watch bears, I wasn’t about to let some drizzle get in the way of bear watching,” he wrote on his blog Wandering At Large.

Wandering at Large
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Wandering at Large

And bears are exactly what he saw. Lots of them. And they were enormous.

In length and width!

And caught these big bears in action on video. A video that was viewed more than 700,000 times.

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YouTube Screenshot

But there was one bear that was especially large.

“This bear, known as 747, is a real giant who likely weighs well over 1000 pounds,” Fitz explains in the video’s caption. “Bears get fat to survive winter famine. 747’s well-endowed proportions set him up for success. At the beginning of the video, another adult male bear, (#474) avoids the approach of 747.”

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YouTube Screenshot

The video begins with 474 fleeing from the 747 and going toward a bridge.

747 is currently taking a swim and is walking his way out of the river.

He slowly makes his way to shore and scurries toward a tree.

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YouTube Screenshot

He then uses the tree as a back scratcher which is hilarious.

That’s when you get to see how big his belly really is.

It looks like he’s pregnant.

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YouTube Screenshot

But he’s not because 747 is a he.

“When 747 sees 474 walk upriver, 747 directly approached 474. Both of the palindromic-numbered bears began to cowboy walk and mark trees, 474 on the shore near the platform and 747 on the island downstream of the falls,” Fitz explains.

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YouTube Screenshot

“When 474 moved behind the platform, likely as a subtle move to avoid 747, the larger 747 marked the same tree and urinated in the same places as 474. Out of the water, 747’s true size is revealed. He’s a giant of a bear, far fatter and larger than any other on the river.”

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YouTube Screenshot

Bears mark territory with scent to establish their dominance.

“This morning, 474’s avoidance of 747 and 747’s subsequent scent marking of the same spots indicate 747 was the dominant bear, which is not surprising based on his gigantic proportions.”

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YouTube Screenshot

After 747 gets his back scratches in he waddles toward underneath the platform.

He ends up coming back toward the tree and meanders near the rushing river.

He eventually makes his way back into the river.

YouTube Screenshot
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YouTube Screenshot

“First, I had to get to the river. The campground is set almost a half-mile from the mouth of Brooks River. The walk between is easy enough, mostly flat and over crushed gravel trails, unless bears get in the way,” Fitz writes.

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YouTube Screenshot

He ended up seeing more than 14 bears that day!

“Brooks River is a special place, unique among national parks, and I felt fortunate to spend time there once again even if the visit was too short.”

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