NHL mascots receive their fair share of appreciation for the work they do all year round to build the atmosphere during games and help with marketing, but after a recent scary incident, the appreciation should increase.

Brown bears commonly feast on salmon in the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, gobbling them as they leap upstream over Brooks Falls to spawn. The park, nearly 300 miles southwest of Anchorage and inaccessible by road, is home to the annual “Fat Bear Week” contest celebrating the bears as they fatten up for the winter.

Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy and forward John Hayden had a close call with a bear during a video shoot in Alaska.