Watch the incredible moment a black bear was caught on camera opening a barbecue and gobbling up all the burgers.
Melanie Frieh, 26, of Naperville, Illinois, and her friends were preparing an outdoor feast during a vacation in the woods when two bears unexpectedly passed by.
After the group moved to the first-floor balcony, they filmed footage of the bears pushing open the grill before devouring the meaty burgers.
Meanwhile, after downing a can of Diet Coke, they washed it all down with the fizzy drink.
Melanie said she was stunned by the interaction, explaining: ‘My friends and I were on our annual friends holiday and were told by our Airbnb that it’s bear season and we need to be careful.
Watch the incredible moment a black bear was caught on camera opening a barbecue and gobbling up all the burgers
Melanie Frieh, 26, of Naperville, Illinois, and her friends were preparing an outdoor feast while on vacation in the woods when the two bears dropped by unexpectedly
“We were grilling burgers on Saturday and saw bears coming towards us.”
The medical worker was shocked to see the bears approaching her group and tried to make noises to scare them away.
She said: ‘We started shouting, banging pans and doing our best to scare them away but they just weren’t phased.
“The grill was quickly turned off and we grabbed the fried burgers and ran inside because we were so scared.”
As they got closer, the 26-year-old and her friends turned off the gas and ran to a first-floor balcony to film the footage.
One of the bears can be seen nudging the closed lid with its nose, before lifting the lid with its right paw, revealing ten juicy, uncooked patties on the grill.
The bear is joined by another, and together they devour the burgers – and also enjoy a Diet Coke, managing to puncture the can and drink the soda.
She said, “A few seconds later (we escaped) the bear went to the grill, took the ten remaining uncooked hamburgers and ate them all.
After the group moved to the first-floor balcony, they filmed footage of the bears pushing open the grill before devouring the barbecue burgers.
The medical worker was shocked to see the bears approaching her group and tried to make noises to scare them away
As they got closer, the 26-year-old and her friends turned off the gas and ran to a first-floor balcony to film the footage.
The bears quickly devoured all the meat patties before moving on to the drinks that had been left out
One of the bears can be seen nudging the closed lid with its nose, before lifting the lid with its right paw, revealing ten juicy, uncooked patties on the grill.
“The bear then found a Diet Coke that someone had left out before running in, and the bear drank it right after eating the burgers.”
The video emerged days after footage was captured of the moment a black bear recently nibbled on trays of enchiladas and tacos at the Chipinque Ecological Park in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León.
The viral TikTok video, which has been viewed more than six million times since it was posted Monday night, showed a woman keeping her cool and protecting a boy.
The bear came close to the boy’s head and helped himself to each of the portions while standing on the picnic table.
Amazingly, the family was not injured in the incident and left the bear in the woods after the face-to-face encounter.
The four-legged creature did not appear to have a full stomach after nearly two minutes of eating the traditional Mexican dishes.
He skipped several drinks and knocked over a bottle before walking across the table looking for more, while a petrified girl remained motionless.
The bear then left the table and walked to an empty tray in search of more food, while one of the family members continued filming from a distance.
No one in the family was injured in the incident, but it deserved a story to tell for the rest of their lives.
One of the bears couldn’t resist exploring the garden and knocking over the games and beer cans (photo)
How refreshing! One of the bears bit into a can of Diet Coke to wash down the meaty burger meal
The bear found a Diet Coke that someone had left out before running in and then drank it right after eating the burgers
The incident comes four months after a black bear crashed a party in San Pedro Garza García and tried several options available on the buffet table before settling on one of the main courses as shocked guests and caterers looked on and laughed.
In October 2022, another black bear interrupted Ricardo Morales’ proposal to his girlfriend Cecilia Canabal at a restaurant in the Chipinque Ecological Park.
Morales told DailyMail.com at the time that several people around them told him and Canabal to remain calm as the bear walked across the rose-covered floor.
“Before the bear passed by, we listened to the gardeners and the people from the hotel and the restaurant, they told us not to be afraid,” Morales said.
“We looked over there and clearly saw a black shadow. And this shadow came closer to us.’
According to a study conducted by the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, the state is home to at least 38 black bears.
Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has recognized the animal as an endangered species because parts of its habitat have urbanized over the years.
Chipinque Ecological Park officials have posted signs warning people what to do if they encounter bears.
Visitors are requested not to approach or harass them. They are also advised to keep food away from the bears and not to leave trash behind.
“Do not feed them or throw food at them, and please do not hit them,” the agency warns.