A man was sleeping at the front desk of his hotel in northwestern China during the early hours of Aug. 5 when he suddenly heard noises coming from the counter next to him, where he kept snacks and beverages.

However, upon opening his eyes, the man was shocked to find that the intruder was a wild bear that was looking for food.

What happened

Speaking to Chinese media, the man, surnamed Zhang, said the bear entered his hotel in Golmud in Qinghai province at around 3am on Aug. 5.

It did so after pulling open the front door, which was unlocked, "like a human", recounted Zhang.

The scene was captured on a surveillance camera in the hotel, and the footage was subsequently uploaded to Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok.

Bear toured around front desk

Although Zhang was sleeping on a bed at the front desk, the bear was not bothered by his presence and began searching the desk and underneath it.

As the bear could not find anything to eat, it walked towards the counter, where it subsequently pulled down a box of beverages with its front paws.

After Zhang was awakened by the noise and noticed the bear, he immediately got off his bed, grabbed his phone from the desk, and ran towards the second floor, even as the bear continued searching with its head down, unperturbed.

However, Zhang's hasty departure did not trigger the bear's instinct to chase after him.

Instead, it just turned around and stared at Zhang for about 5 seconds before making its way out the front desk.

No one injured by bear

The local police confirmed with Chinese media that they were alerted to the case, and officers were dispatched to the scene to chase away the bear.

Throughout its visit, the bear only flipped over half a bag of rice that Zhang kept at the front desk.

No one was injured, said Zhang.

Not the first time bear visited the area

However, it appeared that bears were not just interested in Zhang's hotel.

According to him, bears have been visiting hotels in the area since 2023.

Recently, they also broke into a supermarket next to Zhang's hotel, creating a mess in the drinks section.

The local authorities were also informed about these bears' appearances, added Zhang.

Bears around the world

Top images via @yizhitianmax44/Douyin