Thursday, January 8, 2026

Video: Black bear joins family picnic at park in Nuevo León

Maybe the Tigres professional soccer team that plays in Monterrey should change its name to the Osos Negros.

After all, interactions with black bears in the capital and other cities throughout the northern state of Nuevo León have become so frequent in recent years that one newspaper declared, “the inhabitants of the region consider it part of their identity and regionalism.”

Videos of the sightings often end up on social media, such as the most recent encounter: a black bear cub atop a wooden picnic table, scarfing down tacos and enchiladas from disposable white plates.

During a 90-second video clip, a woman and child remain seated in silence on the picnic table bench while the bear — less than a foot away from them at times, and seemingly sniffing the child — can be heard chewing and swallowing.

The incident occurred at Chipinque Ecological Reserve, near the San Pedro Garza García municipality of Monterrey, and the video went viral, with viewers wondering if the woman was petrified, cool as a cucumber or too afraid to run. 

The family was reportedly enjoying their meal near a playground in the nature reserve, about 2 km outside the city, when the animal appeared and jumped on the table.

Women remain still as a black bear checks them out in a park in Nuevo León.
This is not the first time that park visitors have come face-to-face with the local bear population. (El Universal Estados/X)

Reports put the bear at more than 3 feet tall, and it apparently was hungry, finishing all the food from all three plates.

The incident occurred less than a week after the headline “They are looking for a bear that was seen wandering the streets of Monterrey” appeared in a newspaper.

Citing urban expansion and the search for food and water as the main reasons why the bears have come down from the mountains, the report noted that the wandering bear was spotted near Plaza Mayor in the Satélite neighborhood. Emergency units were sent to search for it.

“It’s two blocks from my house,” said a man who recorded a video of the bear from his car.

Sightings of black bears in Nuevo León have become increasingly frequent in recent years. There have been intrusions into homes, schools and shopping malls, the report said. Earlier this year in Monterrey, one bear walked between cars that were in traffic on a busy street.

With reports from Infobae

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Downtown Mexico City

Citi survey: Banks predict 1.3% GDP growth, peso weakening to 19:1 in 2026

0
Growth forecasts for 2026 from 35 banks surveyed by Citi range from 0.6% to 1.8%, though estimates for 2027 range from 1% to 2.8% — a vote of confidence in Mexico's economy post-USMCA review.
Oil tanker

Why is Mexico suddenly Cuba’s biggest oil supplier?

8
The news that Mexico is the island nation's top oil supplier seems at odds with Trump's anti-Cuba agenda, but President Sheinbaum clarified Tuesday that shipment levels remain consistent with previous years.
telephone booth in operation

The CFE is bringing back the phone booth in rural Mexico

3
The new public phones operate simply: pick up the receiver, punch the number, talk, hang up. The major difference between the new ones and the old ones is that all calls are now free.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity