Washington mom saves toddler running to hug black bear

A mother in Washington state sprinted between a cub and her own child before the toddler could give it a bear hug.

Samantha Martin of Redmond, Washington followed two-year-old Juniper outside Thursday after her daughter managed to sneak out the patio door, according to video from local outlet FOX 13.

Video shows Martin calling for the toddler to come back inside before turning a corner and seeing her daughter darting toward a black bear cub.

“She pointed out this bear and screamed at it, and then started running toward it. It started running across the fence and she chased it, so I just panicked,” said Martin.

NEW HAMPSHIRE HOMEOWNER FINDS BEAR DEN, ABANDONED CUBS WILE CLEARING BRUSH OFF PROPERTY

Martin sprinted after her daughter and scooped her up before dashing back inside.

I didn’t really have a lot of thoughts at the moment,” she added.

The dangerous brush with nature was captured on a home security camera, which captured a brief glimpse of the bear cub as it scurried along the Martins’ backyard fence. The baby bear had been snacking on birdseed after destroying the family’s bird feeder.

“It was just a little baby bear, but my biggest concern wasn’t necessarily the baby bear so much as I didn’t know where the mom was and didn’t know how she’d feel about two humans running towards her baby,” Martin told the local outlet.

CALIFORNIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO STEALING BEAR CUBS FROM A DEN

A California man recently pled guilty to stealing two bear cubs from a den in northern Shasta County. The cubs were eventually turned over to a wildlife care facility, where they stayed until it was determined that they could return to the wild.

Cody Dylon Setzer, from Siskiyou County, took the cubs when they were four weeks old, according to a press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The incident originally took place in 2019.