The average bear doesn’t want to suck it up, grin and pose for your selfie.

That should be obvious, because bears are big, bad, wild and omnivorous. Yogi or Smokey they ain’t.

But after a picture-hungry crowd chased a mother bear and her two cubs Wednesday, Aspen police are warning that what may look like an opportunity for rock star selfie with a bear, could cause the animal to lose its life.

Police spent most of Wednesday monitoring a mother and two cubs that were in a tree on the Hyman Avenue mall.

When the bears came down in the evening, they faced a crowd, many of whom “insisted on trying to get close enough to take selfies,” according to Sgt. Rob Fabrocini.

Fabrocini witnessed one woman walk up to the bears with her child in her arms hoping to take a picture with them.

When the bears tried to escape, a small group of people pursued them, trying to shoot video.

During the chase, the mother and cubs were separated. The upset mother returned to the mall looking for her cubs. She unleashed loud cries. “People were still walking right up to her, even when it was clear she was agitated and growling as people got close,” Fabrocini said.

Police feared that the bear might attack someone and told the crowd to disperse.

Aspen firefighters rescue baby bear to release them in the wild , so cute. pic.twitter.com/igEOui329K — Lina (@EusseLina) September 14, 2017

The incident prompted police to release a statement warning the public to exercise the same caution in town that they would if they encountered bears in the wild.

“Just because there is caution tape up and an officer in the area, this in no way guarantees your safety,” the release said.

The lives of bears are also at stake. “Although black bear attacks are uncommon, they are more likely to occur in a situation when a bear is being harassed by onlookers. If a bear attacks a human, it may be euthanized by Colorado Parks & Wildlife,” the release said.

And if the possibility of being charged by a toothy animal with an average adult weight of 240 pounds doesn’t overcome a desire to get close to a bear, consider this: It is illegal to harass any wildlife. Doing so can be punishable by a fine of $100 and cause the offender to have 10 points suspended off their driver’s license.

The bear trio returned Thursday and climbed the same tree. So police worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which tranquilized the bears. They will be relocated to western Colorado.