VIDEO: Grand Teton Park Bear Cub Gnaws On Medical Face Mask

National park videos that feature bears usually get shared on the Internet either because there was an altercation with another animal, human interference occurred, or simply for the awe-inspiring power and beauty of the animals. This video is certainly a sign of the times we're living in.

I've had two encounters with wild bear during my years of visiting national parks. Both instances happened in Yosemite National Park years ago. The first time, we were stopped off at an area that people bought souvenirs at. I walked out of a building, and saw a large group of visitors flocking toward a hillside that was maybe 100-yards away. I snapped a photograph that remains framed in my home to this day.

My next experience might be hard for some to believe, but I just happened to have three witnesses in my car at the time. While exiting the park on a road with a posted speed limit of 25 mph, a large bear suddenly came lumbering out of some bushes on the side of the road, and proceeded to run head first into my passenger side rear tire. I saw the animal spin around in my side mirror, and in a daze, make its way back into the bushes. I later found a huge tuft of bear hair stuck in my hubcap.

A recent video shared to YouTube shows something that many will find troubling. A face mask, similar to those worn in hospitals, can be seen hanging out of a bear cub's mouth in the video. A large percentage of the U.S. population are currently wearing them in an effort to combat Covid-19, and many are tossing them in places they shouldn't be.

It is possible that the bear picked it up at a camp site too. For some, this might be right up there with a bird tangled in plastic. Human pollution has unfortunately become a likely irreversible reality. Those that are wearing masks out to our country's national parks need to make sure they are properly disposing them.