Despite being extremely small compared to the black bear, the squirrel does not flee but boldly approaches, trying to protect its food stash.
Black bear “stealing” from gray squirrel.
The hidden camera from the documentary “America the Beautiful” captured the moment a squirrel confronted a massive black bear in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The use of hidden cameras is one of the filmmakers’ approaches, allowing them to record unique behaviors that animals might not display if a film crew was nearby.
“Hidden cameras allow you to capture extremely shy creatures that you can’t film otherwise,” explained Mark Linfield, executive producer and co-founder of Wildstar Films, in an interview with Newsweek on July 1.
Squirrels store nuts to prepare for the cold season and times when food is scarce. Gray squirrels hide them in various locations, frequently digging them up and re-burying them to remember their spots, according to the Smithsonian Education Center. Experts estimate that about 25% of the nuts collected by squirrels are stolen.
The squirrel in the video is attempting to hide its gathered pine cones and nuts in a secret stash before winter arrives, but a black bear appears and begins to feast on this food supply. Instead of hiding or fleeing, the squirrel makes an effort to protect its food. It advances and fiercely vocalizes at the massive thief.
“You will see the incredible size difference between the squirrel and the bear. No one in the world has ever witnessed this because normally, bears and squirrels would be aware of the film crew’s presence. You wouldn’t be able to capture such natural behavior,” shared Vanessa Berlowitz, co-founder of Wildstar Films.
Fortunately, the squirrel has a secret stash high in the tree that no other animals below notice, the film crew reported. Thanks to this, it can survive the winter.
