A man has tragically died after attempting to take a selfie with a bear, according to reports.
Prabhu Bhatara, a taxi driver from Papadahandi in the Nabarangpur district of Odisha, India was mauled to death after approaching the animal, reports the independent
He stopped his SUV to go to the toilet, before then spotting the animal. While his passengers told him not to approach it, he then went too close while trying to take a picture and was attacked.
“A stray dog tried to fight with the bear but was unable to save the man,” according to the metro. “Forest officials eventually tranquilized the bear so that they could get to his body.”
Locals had said the bear was getting a drink from a pond when the taxi driver approached. “Bhatara died on the spot,” Forest ranger Dhanurjaya Mohapatra said. "The bear is being treated for its injuries.”
There is a video of the incident is below. Warning, some may find the footage distressing.
Approaching animals in this way is always, always a bad idea. Bears are extremely unpredictable and, if threatened, can be prone to attacking.
"While [seeing a bear] is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears in national parks are wild and can be dangerous," the National Park Service in the US notes. "Their behavior is sometimes unpredictable. Although rare, attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death."
Despite maybe looking approachable, they are still wild animals. In India, it's estimated that one person dies everyday from an attack by a wild animal. So be careful, and don't do anything that might antagonize them. Getting a selfie isn't worth putting yourself or the animal in danger.