The video of a woman taking a selfie with a black bear has gone viral on social media, with people appreciating the woman for staying calm.

The incident took place at the Chipinque Ecological Park in Mexico on Saturday, July 18.

The video shows the bear approaching a group of hikers. One of them stands still as the animal stands upright on its hind legs and sniffs her from behind. The woman seizes the moment and grabs her phone to take a photo with the bear. The animals "poses" for the selfie before dropping back on its feet. The bear then hits her legs twice before wandering away.

The video has since gone viral on social media, with people appreciating the woman for staying calm.

"Holy moly! I woulda peed my pants!" a person wrote. "Makes me nervous, she has a bear behind," another wrote.

The clip was also shared by celebrities.

"This girl has nerves of steel. She actually took a selfie with the big guy," former NBA player Rex Chapman wrote.

Journalist Yashar Ali wrote, "We don't see the lead up, but they handle themselves well. If a black bear is this close to you, it's too late to scare them off unless they're attacking you, then you should fight back. Otherwise, stay calm, don't run. Don't do that with a grizzly if they attack you...play dead."

Local authorities have requested people to "stay calm" during such encounters.

"Stay calm, never stand between a baby and its mother, do not go near or feed them, take shelter and watch it, avoid photographing it or taking selfies," authorities said, TMZ reported.

This is not the first time such an incident has taken place at the park.

In November last year, a black bear was caught on camera approaching a visitor and tapping her on the shoulder. In the video, the bear was seen approaching a woman from behind and standing on its hind legs before brushing the woman’s hair and tapping her on her shoulder.

black-bear-1901957_640 (2)
Back bear Pixabay