A video clip shows a teenager fighting off a bear who came very close to her Bradbury, California, backyard on Monday.
Seventeen-year-old Hailey Morinico said she heard her family’s dogs barking and spotted a big mama bear walking along the top of a wall with her cubs following close behind, according to ABC 7.
In the clip, four dogs, three small and one large, approached the bear as it took a few swipes at them. Both of her cubs turned and ran the other way to escape.
Moments later, Hailey appeared, shouting, “Hey!” and immediately ran up to the bear and shoved her off the wall. The dogs retreated and she picked up one of the small ones before running back to the house while the bear left the scene.
Branda, Hailey’s cousin, posted the video to her TikTok profile where it garnered 15 million views in seven hours, according to Local 10.
“My cousin Hailey yeeted a bear off her fence today and saved her dogs. How’s your Memorial Day?” the caption reportedly read.
She also shared the video on her Instagram account:
Later, Hailey recounted the ordeal online and said, “I go over to the bear, I look it in the eyes and the first thing I think to do is push it. Push a bear, push an apex predator.”
“To be honest, I don’t think I pushed her that hard. I just pushed her enough to make her lose her balance, so she dropped my dog and I ran out of there. I grabbed my other dog, I sprained my finger and scraped my knee, but we’re all OK,” she noted.
Instagram users praised Hailey for her actions and also expressed concern for the dogs and the bear.
“Dang!!! Momma Bear vs Momma Bear!!! You better LET US KNOW that you PROTECT yours!!!!!” one person wrote.
“I hope dogs are good, this mama bear just want to protect babies,” another commented.