Teen who fought of mother bear to protect dogs 'was just acting on instinct'

A US teen who fought off a bear that was attacking her dogs admitted she "wasn't thinking" when she went to her pet's aid.

Surveillance footage captured the moment Hailey Morinico, 17, rushed towards the mother brown bear and its two cubs as the ursine family climbed down her backyard wall in Bradbury, Los Angeles on Monday.

Ms Morinico's dogs ran around the bear in panic until Ms Morinco ran up, pushed it off the wall, picked up one of her pets and fled.

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Speaking to Today, Ms Morinico said she reacted on instinct.

"In the moment I wasn't thinking at all," she said.

"The only objective was to save my dog who was being picked up by the bear and, you can see me just sprinting. I look like a superhuman and people are saying they should be a quarterback.

"I was just acting on instinct. And I could have been in serious, serious harm if I wasn't like - just like so lucky."

Ms Morinico sprained a finger in the ordeal, but none of her animals were seriously injured.

"I think it is getting better, so otherwise I'm perfectly fine and so are the dogs," she said.

"I'm going to take the advice of all the wildlife people out there and not push a bear ever again.

"I just hope that bears won't hold grudges."

Fatal bear attacks are relatively rare — there have only been around 180 deaths from bear attacks in North America since the late 1700s.

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