It was an almost unbearable shock.
A North Carolina man came face to furry face with an uninvited guest last week: A big black bear scoping him out just feet away on his tranquil patio.
David Oppenheimer said he was winding down after a long day at work as a digital creator when he was startled by the black bear.
“Chillaxing at the end of the day, didn’t expect to make eye contact so close,” said Oppenheimer, 53. “My eyeballs certainly got a stretch.”
In a now-viral video first posted to Facebook, Oppenheimer can be seen casually texting on his phone while the bear approaches.
As the footage continues, the bug-eyed homeowner becomes aware of the mammal’s presence — spurring his furry intruder to immediately perk its head up and engage in a tense stare-down while Oppenheimer death-gripped a pillow in apparent terror.
If anything, the bear seems equally startled by the human’s presence.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time he and the bear have shared close quarters.
“Good thing we’re already acquainted,” said Oppenheimer, recounting how the nosey neigh-bear often rummaged through his trash — and has also stolen food from his supposedly “bear proof” bird feeder.
Despite his familiarity with the bear, Oppenheimer revealed that the recent encounter left him a bit shaken.
“[But] the bears here are very peaceful, this one just caught me off guard,” said Oppenheimer, who at first missed spotting his unexpected company despite hearing his home’s motion detection alarm go off.
“About a minute later, the bear came along and was practically in front of me,” recalled the still shaken man.
The video left several social media watchdogs shocked.
“That is incredible,” commented one viewer.
“Holy Smokes!!!! You both looked equally surprised,” laughed another of Oppenheimer’s followers. “Glad you guys are peeps!”
“Omg! Y’all both were startled. You look super comfortable up to that point though!,” a third bemused viewer chimed in,” while yet another commenter quipped: “The staring contest pause is what gets me.”
Note: If one should find themselves having an unexpected bear encounter, consider shouting “hey bear” at the critter. Yes, that’s the National Park Service-recommended method of alerting bears to one’s presence in order to avoid surprising them.
Also, when facing a bear in the wild — or even at a 7-Eleven or busting out some pole dance moves — the Park Service advises humans to “move away slowly and sideways” and to refrain from running as the bruin will pursue “fleeing animals.”
“Stay calm” and “hold your ground” if a bear approaches or follows you, the Park Service adds. Moreover, “Identify yourself by making noise so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal.”
This patio-dwelling black bear is far from the first time a bruin has been caught behaving like a human.
In September, a mama bear in Asheville, North Carolina, was filmed adorably teaching her cub how to use the slide at the playground.
In a similar incident this past August, a black bear was filmed calmly strolling down the aisles of a California grocery store.
That same month, another four-legged scene stealer was caught on cam swiping someone’s Amazon delivery.
Meanwhile, bears have become bona fide — albeit infamous — social media stars after a string of viral incidents of late: One “foolish” woman got jail time for playing around with a massive mama grizzly at Yellowstone National Park in October, and four-time “Fat Bear Week” winner Otis made headlines when he reclaimed his title earlier that month.
Of course, most of these viral incidents don’t result in cutesy “bear hugs,” backyard puppy play or calm daddy lectures — in fact, most end in near-tragedy or death: In the past months alone, a bicyclist managed to fight off a bear that mauled him in Alaska, a boxer is in “grave condition” after challenging one to a misguided bout and a woman was killed by a 400-pounder while camping in Montana.