Lost 3 year old kept warm by bear?

Author: Polytheist-Witch

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So the little guy gets out and is missing in bad weather for three days. Says a bear slept with him and kept him warm. 

This is an older but similar story. 



I image these were black bears though the kids or articles never say. Just a nice story since the first boy really should have suffered due to the cold. 
RationalMadman
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@Polytheist-Witch
Accurate prediction. Brown bears would have eaten him alive. Polar bears would probably just let him rot.

Black bears are much kinder and more sensitive. If black bears begin to scare people, it alarms the black bear itself and it tries to comfort them (which can scare them more).
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It probably didn't happen. The boy's barely got a scratch on him and yet the parents set up a gofundme page in the aftermath. There's a good chance they fabricated the whole thing to garner sympathy so they could milk it for every cent. In this weather I don't believe that a kid that young could survive for two days and two nights, even if a furry animal snuggled with him.
But in case I'm wrong, some people have suggested he might've mistaken a large dog for a bear, since dogs are much more likely to try to help a person in need than a bear. One guy suggested it might've been a Newfoundland (breed of dog), which in some ways resembles a bear.

18 days later

Vader
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I don't believe a violent bear would protect a human. Must be a mistake
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I heard of this story, saw it on facebook... went somewhat viral.

While the story is not unbelievable (there are tales of animals demonstrating unusually good will towards humans that are as old as human civilization itself), it is highly improbable. 

Several factors contribute to this: 

1. Children make up all sorts of wild stories;
2. Children are especially likely to make up wild stories to get the attention of adults; and 
3. This particular child got a lot of attention from adults and when asked as he certainly was he likely came up with what he thought was the most amazing story he could in response to the adults' amazement that he was still alive. 



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@Vader
Why assume the bear was violent. If no cubs and sleepy due to hibernation it may not even have cared what the kid did if not a threat. 
Vader
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@Polytheist-Witch
Bears are not loving animals. not to mention the kid could be making things up
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@Vader
Black bears without cubs are not necessarily aggressive. Kids can make things up but bears are not necessarily out to eat or kill people. 
Vader
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I believe it is more likely now. Since North Carolina is only home to black bears. Even so 

"Because of this, black bears are generally considered more dangerous than sympatric brown bears, which live in more open spaces and are thus less likely to be surprised by approaching humans. They are also likely to attack when protecting food."-Wiki

"Black bears rarely attack when confronted by humans, and usually limit themselves to making mock charges, emitting blowing noises and swatting the ground with their forepaws. However, according to Stephen Herrero in his Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, 23 people were killed by black bears from 1900 to 1980."-Wiki

I believe it is a lie. Even if they don't attack, no way a more dangerous animal than brown bear would be empathetic
RationalMadman
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I so badly wish this RO wouldn't stop me telling how stupid WIkipedia is for a source.......

Please, please research....................................... Please.................................................................................... I must just tell that black bears are literally so friendly that they will stop rapes or in-house fights while invading houses and shit.

Black bears are severely empathetic beings, stop reading Wikipedia.
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@Vader
Not sure who put that in there but brown bears are more aggressive than black bears. Grizzlies are very aggressive. 

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@Polytheist-Witch
I think it was a troll. I see no reference. Sorry to all offended

Wiki is reliable for they usually site info from certain source
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@Vader
it's not an offense I just live where there are bears and know better
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Same here. Ilinois has a lot of bears