National Park Service Tells Public To “Never Push a Slower Friend” in a Bear Attack

The National Park Service (NPS) has an important message for the public: “If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.” Anyone who has ever been the “slower friend” can sigh with relief that the NPS has their back via a viral tweet.

While it may seem like just a funny tweet, it was actually just the opener for a helpful thread about bear safety advice. Aas the NPS points out, bears are friend-shaped, but they aren’t our friends. “Seeing a bear in the wild is a special treat for any visitor to a national park. While it is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears in national parks are wild and can be dangerous.”

The timely message comes just as spring is about to arrive and many bears will become more active. Bears have attacked folks before, including a mountain climber in Japan and a Vermont woman hiking with her dog in the fall of 2022. (Her brave Jack Russell terrier saved the day.) So, while it’s fun to vote for the chonky champion of Fat Bear Week and admire the animal’s ability to take selfies, the NPS has published an important guide on how to stay safe around bears.

To cap off the educational—and funny—tweet thread, the NPS Twitter account took the time to reply to some burning questions from fellow users. Including, perhaps, the most pertinent one: What if you’re in the woods and you are the slower friend? To that, the NPS says, “Check in on the friendship before you head to the woods.”

Spring is about to arrive, and many bears will be more active. The National Park Service (NPS) wants to make sure you're prepared.

It made a viral tweet reminding us to never push down our slower friend if there's a bear sighting.

This funny tweet led to a longer thread of tweets about bear safety tips.

But it wasn't all serious. The account replied to some burning questions from fellow users.

h/t: [Neatorama]

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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