US man sleeps through dangerously close encounter with bear; CCTV images go viral [reactions]

When it comes to cute wild animals, bears crush their competition. However, behind their adorable exteriors lie some of nature's most fearsome creatures that are powerful beyond words and can toss a fully-grown human aside like a rag doll. However, a man in Montana, USA, must thank his luck for not only surviving an encounter with a bear but also obliviously sleeping through it.

In a recent social media post, CSKT Wildlife Management Program, Montana, shared images of a hitchhiker sleeping beneath an underpass tunnel on the US 93 highway. In the images, the bear can be seen just a few feet away from the man.

"Note...this lucky guy (sleeper) didn't even stir...slept through the whole encounter and the bear moved on without incident!" read the post.

Sleeping Through a Deadly Encounter

Not many people can have a brush with a bear and live to tell the tale. However, this unidentified man was not even aware that he ran into one as he slumbered away. The surveillance capture images show the motionless hiker sleeping near the wall of the tunnel as the bear passes by him. In one of the images, the animal can be seen glancing backward at a still black mass—the hitchhiker—before moving on.

"The wildlife crossing structures under US 93 are not a safe place to rest...for humans! Wildlife like to lay down in them for hours, drink water out of springs and streams, fawns will frolic to and fro; but they are not a safe place to camp to rest," warned the group.

The post also emphasized that when the group carries out work in the tunnels, it employs caution and carries essentials such as bear sprays before venturing into them. "Mountain lions, black bears, grizzly bear, white-tailed bucks and does, coyotes and skunks use them day and night. So please, stay clear of the crossing structures and if you do go in, be alert and don't stay long," said the post.

Lucky to Be Alive

Following its sharing on Facebook, the post has received over 1.1k shares. Several users commented on the good fortune of the man for emerging unscathed from the encounter. "Oh my! That person has no idea how lucky they were. Wow," wrote one user. "Omg lucky dude the bear just looks at him." read a comment.

"Probably a hitchhiker man maybe put a sign down there lol I mean you shouldn't have to but some people are oblivious," opined one user. However, some called the man out for his carelessness. "Where are people's common sense anymore?!!!!" questioned a comment. Another user wrote: "People.....ya know what I'm sayin...Unbelievable."