Video: Sunbathing Woman Kissed by a Black Bear
Daniel Xu 06.15.16
How many people can say they’ve been kissed by a wild black bear? Kristen Jones of North Carolina can, because she was on the receiving end of a smooch in late May near her parents’ home on Lake James. According to My9NJ.com, Jones said she was relaxing near the lake when an animal came up behind her and started kissing and licking her shoulder. The woman turned around, expecting to pet a friendly neighbor’s dog, but instead came face-to-face with a black bear.
“I was sitting on the steps with my feet propped by the water listening to Ray Lamontagne, when I felt a sniff on my right shoulder and a lick up my neck,” Jones wrote on her Facebook after the incident. “I reached up to pet the (assumed) neighbors dog, only to discover I and the bear were startled to meet.”
Jones recalled that she didn’t even notice the bear coming up to her because she had on headphones and was listening to music. If the animal had been any less friendly than it was, Jones would have been taken completely by surprise—not that she wasn’t already. Jones immediately stumbled into the water while the bear panicked and ran toward a distant hill.
Making sure to keep her distance, Jones photographed the bear with her smartphone. She later explained that in case the bear did try to attack her, at least her parents would know what happened. Thankfully, the critter didn’t seem to be all that interested in Jones for the rest of the day and eventually wandered off. Jones warned several of the neighbors who were out walking their dog, and they warned the rest of the neighborhood in turn. By the end of the day, a newsletter was sent out regarding the bear sighting.
“The entire thing happened so fast. Sixty seconds and it was done,” Jones told WBTV. “I was absolutely terrified. I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself against a bear like that if he had attacked. There was an overwhelming sense of being powerless.”
You can watch her describe the incident in the video below:
