When Bears Bring the Drama: A Tail—or Should I Say “Tale”?

Picture this: a quiet Alaskan forest, a lone trail camera sitting on sentry duty—and then, action. On August 5th, Anchorage’s wild side decided to throw its own solo show. Enter the star: A Very Large Bear, who had apparently taken it upon itself to audition for the role of “Fur-Covered Hulk” in the latest wildlife blockbuster. It huffed. It puffed. It scratched… like it was shaking off the weird dream about salmon in a tutu.

If you, like me, thought bears only rolled around for honey-themed dance numbers, prepare to be pleasantly perplexed: this furry behemoth didn’t just stroll by—oh no. It put on a full aromatherapy session with some serious tree back-scratching action, and did so with the gusto of someone testing out a luxury massage chair.

Moral of the Forest

1. Trail cams = wildlife TMZ. You never know when a bear’s going to give you a live performance instead of a boring old snapshot.

2. Always respect those itchy spots. Bears know how to enjoy the simple things—like a good scratch—while providing us with cinematic gold.

3. Bring popcorn. Because sometimes, nature’s show doesn’t need a script—just a tree, a bear, and a camera.

We’re talking real sounds here. So when Joe (yes, Joe Cantil—thank you, Joe!) said “Wait for it!! Turn up Audio,” he was basically telling us, “Brace yourself for bear-opera.”

Original video by Joe Cantil and story via Outdoors.com.