Mother shields son as bear eats his birthday dinner

A mother shielded her son from a bear by pretending it was all part of a game as the animal leaped onto their picnic table and ate his birthday dinner in Mexico.

Silvia Macias went to Chipinque Park in northern Mexico to celebrate the birthday of her 15-year-old son, Santiago, who has Down syndrome, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Macias said her friend, Angela Chapa, also came on the outing, and they discussed the possibility of what would happen if a bear came ahead of time. 

"We are going to play a game where we cover Santiago’s eyes and we are going to act like statues," Macias said, recalling how they had rehearsed the plan.

Shortly after they sat down to eat, a bear appeared. Macias said she was concerned that her son would get scared and the bear would target him, so she acted according to the plan. 

"Santiago is very afraid of animals, a cat or a dog, any animal scares him a lot," Macias also said. "That’s why I covered his eyes, because I didn’t want him to see it and scream or run. I was afraid that if he got scared or screamed or scared the bear, that the bear would react."

Eventually, the bear went away after Chapa threw an enchilada for the animal.

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