Homeowner makes unexpected discovery after checking his backyard one morning: 'I was not expecting to see this'

A man in Canada woke up one morning to a pretty major surprise when he found a black bear snoozing in his tree.

What's happening?

According to Pembina Valley Online, a news resource for residents of Southern Manitoba in Canada, a man named Dwayne Martens discovered the sleeping bear in his backyard in Altona and commented, "I was not expecting to see this!"

Right away, Martens called the police and got the fire department and animal control involved. Though bear encounters can be immensely dangerous to humans, many people stopped to take pictures of the unexpected visitor.

Luckily, it was later reported that the bear climbed down the tree and walked out of town itself, meaning that both the bear and the citizens of Altona left the situation unscathed.

Why are encounters between humans and animals important?

Black bears tend to run from a fight, in comparison with the more aggressive grizzly bears. While black bears are less aggressive than some other bears, they are still wild animals with unpredictable tendencies.

However, this isn't the first time that humans have come across a wild bear and decided to pose for selfies instead of leaving it in peace.

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Encounters between humans and animals may be becoming more commonplace because of the growth in the human population alongside the destruction of many wild animals' habitats. As well as this, resources such as food may be reduced because of human intervention, hunting, and a changing climate.

What's being done about these encounters?

It's important to first reach out to wildlife protection services if you come across a wild animal in an unexpected place. Although it may be amazing to see a creature out and about, the best thing to do is to give it plenty of space and not put yourself or others in harm's way.

By protecting the environment and conserving habitats, we can help protect our communities by limiting dangerous encounters with wildlife.

If animals can live in peace in their own habitats, with all the resources they need to survive, it is much more unlikely that they will stray too close to homes and towns. Additionally, protecting the environment will promote greater biodiversity and thriving natural ecosystems.