BRADBURY, Calif. (AP) -- A 17-year-old girl shoved a large bear that was swatting at her family dog in their Southern California backyard.
Surveillance video shows the mother bear perched on top of a wall, facing off with a black dog on the ground. Two bear cubs are behind the bear while four smaller dogs bark and dart around the yard.
The teen sprints to the bear uses both of her hands to push the bear off the wall, picks up one of the smaller dogs, and runs away.
ABC 7 in Los Angeles reports the girl suffered a small scratch, but that she and the dogs were OK.
Although Hailey Morinico is being celebrated for saving her dogs, she told KTLA that she doesn’t want others to do what she did, because they might not have the same outcome.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has similar advice. If a bear breaks into your home or yard, officials say not to confront it. If it doesn’t leave, they say to get to a safe place and call 911.
“If you encounter a bear in your yard, chances are it will move on if there is nothing for the bear to forage. If there is enough distance between you and the bear, you can encourage the bear to leave by using noisemakers or blowing a whistle,” wrote officials.
