A researcher jumps backward as a bear runs out of its den in Vermont. Screenshot: WCAX-TV

March 22 (UPI) -- A group of Vermont wildlife researchers received a shock when they approached a black bear den and one of the animals suddenly bolted out into the open.

The researchers, part of a collaboration between Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the University of Vermont, were visiting a bear den earlier this month as part of the multi-year study.


The video of the encounter shows a researcher place a backpack at the entrance to the den, and it disappears into the hole seconds later.

The researcher reaches into the den and engages in a brief tug-of-war to retrieve the bag, and his victory is quickly followed by a black bear bolting out of the den and staring him in the face before running away.

The bear is tranquilized by the team for some routine measurements before it could get far. They said the bear is doing well.

The multi-year Bear Wind Project is aiming to examine how wind turbines affect the bear population in the Searsburg area.