Un-bear-lievable! Bear filmed on late night run

It is a sight you would not expect to see on a dark night but a driver on a road between Cangas and Somiedo in Asturias was taken by surprise to discover he was sharing the road with a large brown bear.

The stunned driver recorded the animal on his phone and uploaded the clip to YouTube.

“While bear numbers are rising steadily, it is still very unusual to see bears on the roads,” José Tuñon, director of Asturias’ Bear Foundation, told The Local.

“This time of year, May and June, is mating season, so we do see bears moving around more,” he added.

And if you happen to see a bear while driving in Spain?

“Do not follow the bear,” Tuñon advised, “make sure you brake or stop your vehicle to allow the bear to cross the road and if you see an accident involving a bear, call the local police.”

“Whatever you do, you do not want to scare the bear,” he warned.

The Cantabrian brown bear is the largest land animal found in Spain.

According to figures from Asturias' Bear Foundation, there are currently around 200 Cantabrian brown bears in the wild, the largest concentration in the northern region of Asturias.

The bears, a sub-species of brown bears, can reach weights of up to 200kg. It is an endangered species in Spain, a country which has the highest number of at-risk species in Europe. 

A hiker in northern Spain was recently attacked by a brown bear, while in February, an intrepid bear cub showed up on a doorstep in a village in the Picos de Europa mountains.