A large black bear was found eating the remains of a man in Humboldt County, California earlier this week.

The man had gone to check on his water supply and suffered from a heart attack in the process. He died before the bear found him and was not attacked by the bear, but consumed after his death.

According to the police, the bear had managed to eat nearly 85 percent of the man’s body.

In spite of this, authorities say that there is no reason to think that the bear is a threat to anyone and insisted that it did not attack or kill the man, but was only acting as a scavenger.

“The bear does not pose a public threat,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan said. “It was just doing what bears do.”

ICYMI: Black bear ate body of Northern California man who died of heart attack http://t.co/sSgw6aacfz pic.twitter.com/KD0lBXLt13

— L.A. Times: L.A. Now (@LANow) October 20, 2014

Police used dentures and clothing to identify the man as Marion Lee Williams, who was 65 years old.

He had been dead for at least a week when his remains were found.

Black bear eats most of NorCal man's body | http://t.co/O90xty0rwj pic.twitter.com/Ss2med4Von

— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) October 17, 2014

Williams lived off the grid and had been missing since October 8.

His friends said that they hadn’t seen Williams in several days but were not worried at first. They eventually went to look for him and found his body a short distance from his home.

A black bear eats part of a North California man who died earlier of a heart attack. https://t.co/i8sLQXLEuo pic.twitter.com/RK288oYqNC

— [ Odd News ] (@OddNews) October 18, 2014

Black bears have been known to attack humans if provoked, but most bears are more afraid of people than people are afraid of them, and prefer to stay hidden in the forest. Bears do hunt, but like most animals they prefer an easy meal and have been known to act as scavengers.

The bear likely wondered across the man’s body and saw it as an opportunity for an easy meal.