A 12-year-old boy had an extremely close encounter with a huge bear while hiking with his family in Italy.
The young boy, Alessandro, was walking with his family in Malga Nuova, in the Trentino region, when the bear started stalking him.
‘Come Ale,’ his father encourages him as he films the terrifying moment. Following his dad’s instructions, Alessandro walks nervously towards his family, making as little movement as possible.During one incredibly tense moment, the bear can be seen standing on its hind legs, at which point Alessandro panics slightly and calls out for his mum. His dad quickly intervenes though, encouraging him to remain calm.
Eventually, the bear appears to lose interest in the family and stops following them, moving peacefully in another direction as the boy catches up with his father.
Alessandro’s remarkable composure was no accident. In an interview with the Italian broadcaster RAI, he said he had recently watched a video on how to behave if you run into a bear.
“I’d learned that if you yell, the bear becomes agitated and becomes much more aggressive,” he said.
In fact, Alessandro did everything he was supposed to do. He kept his cool, didn’t yell, and walked slowly away, as experts advise.
