WATCH: Redmond Mom Swoops Up Toddler, Runs Away From Wild Bear

By Zuri Anderson

May 27, 2022

Home security video at a Redmond, Washington home caught the moment a mother grabbed her child after spotting a wild bear in her backyard. The footage, which was shared with FOX 13, begins with Samantha Martin's 2-year-old daughter, Juniper, squealing at the sight of a juvenile black bear running along a cement wall lining the backyard.

"Juniper, come back inside," Martin says as she follows behind the toddler.

"That's a bear!" the girl yells out, running toward the wild animal. Without a moment to spare, the panicked mom scoops up her daughter and runs back inside the home.

"I just panicked. I didn’t really have a lot of thoughts in the moment so much as get the child and get back inside," Martin told reporters. "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."

She believes Juniper may have secretly unlocked the patio door and went outside. Martin explains her daughter was also excited to see the bear because she's been learning from an animal identification book, noting that bears are her favorite animal. She has since talked to the 2-year-old about wildlife and how dangerous they can be.

The Redmond resident also learned the bear was snacking on seeds from their now-destroyed bird feeder in the backyard. Martin decided to put a child safety lock on the patio door and permanently take down the feeder.

"I love birds, but I also don’t want bears to continuously come into the yard, so I’m not putting the bird seed back up," said Martin.

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