A Mexican family's celebration was ruined this week when a young black bear leapt up on to a picnic table and devoured food meant for a birthday party, centimetres from a terrified mother and her son. Silvia Macias of Mexico City had travelled to Chipinque Park on the outskirts of Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, to celebrate the 15th birthday of her son, Santiago, who has Down syndrome. The bear appeared soon after they set up the lunch, which consisted of French fries, enchiladas, tacos and salsa. A video shot by a friend shows Ms Macias with her arms wrapped around her son, shielding him as the bear makes its way through the meal. “The worst thing was that Santiago might get scared,” Ms Macias told the Associated Press, recalling how she covered her son's eyes during the incident, which took place on Monday. “Santiago is very afraid of animals, a cat or a dog, any animal scares him a lot. “That’s why I covered his eyes, because I didn’t want him to see it and scream or run. I was afraid that if he got scared or screamed or scared the bear, that the bear would react.” Asked if he had been scared, Santiago, who attends school in Mexico City, said: “Yes, a lot.” A resourceful friend, Angela Chapa, who filmed the scene, lives in Monterrey and knew the proper behaviour for a black bear encounter: never run. Though black bears in the wild tend to avoid humans and are easily startled if confronted, those that are more used to people – viewing them not as a food source but as a means to get it – can be dangerous. Ms Chapa noticed a plate of enchiladas the bear had not eaten and threw it far away after showing it to the animal. As expected, the bear followed the food and Ms Chapa stood in front it, shielding Ms Macias and Santiago, allowing them to retreat quietly and slowly. Ms Macias said she did not consider herself a hero. “I just think I’m a mother who protected her cub,” she said. Video of the incident was posted online and went viral, amassing more than 10 million views on the social media platform TikTok. The park's website says that encounters with black bears have increased in the Monterrey area and the animals have been seen in parks, neighbourhoods and streets near the mountains.
