BEAR HEADLINES

Fatal Encounter, Survival Tips

By Bill Schneider, 6-23-05

Elite Canadian Mountain Biker Fatally Mauled. Isabelle Dube, a top-level cyclist who finished third overall in last year’s TransRockies Challenge, was killed by a grizzly in early June while running on a trail with two female friends near Canmore, Alberta, a gateway community for Banff National Park, After encountering the bear, Dube climbed a tree and her two friends backed away slowly and then ran a half-kilometer to a nearby golf course to get help.

In her friends’ absence, the grizzly somehow pulled Dube from the tree and fatally mauled her. The bear was still on the body when wildlife officials arrived and was immediately shot. The woman was the first person killed by a bear in Alberta since 1998.

Wildlife officials always recommend against trail running in bear country. It’s difficult to be watch for bears or bear sign while running, and runners move quieter and faster, making it much easier to surprise a bear.

Bear Victim Running in Closed Area. Canadian wildlife officials say the woman who was killed by a grizzly bear near Banff National Park was running on a trail that the public had been told to avoid. Isabelle Dube and two friends were on the popular Bench Trail when they encountered the bear. According to RCMP spokesman Brad Freer, the trail had been subject to a voluntary closure since April. The restrictions were intended to protect a key corridor along the Bow River used by roaming wildlife, including bears. Freer also said the voluntary closure had been flouted by outdoor enthusiasts who have created hundreds of kilometres of informal trails throughout the area.

But it’s safe to say that more outdoor folks will honor the closure in the future—as well as understand that such recommendations from wildlife managers are for their own safety, not to interfere with their fun.

Killer Grizzly Recently Released by Bear Managers. The grizzly that killed Isabelle Dube had recently drawn attention from bear managers and been trapped and relocated. The 90-kilogram, four-year-old grizzly, known as No. 99, had approached a woman in the same general area where Dube was killed. After this incident, wildlife officials moved the bear to nearby Carrot Creek, not a significant distance away, only 15 kilometres.

Since then, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development spokesman David Ealey said his department had been tracking the bear with a GPS collar. "This bear was not aggressive. It was basically behaving as a bear of its typical age and sex would," Ealey said. "And we decided it was important to shift it into a place still within its home range," where a bear is more likely to find food. But the grizzly found its way back to the SilverTip area, and was spotted on the golf course an hour before the deadly attack.

After the fatal attack, Dr. Brian Horejsi, a Canadian wildlife scientist said continuing to develop mountain communities like Canmore, which is at the gates of Banff National Park and is now home to some 13,000 people on once-prime wildlife habitat, will inevitably lead to more confrontations between animals and humans. "And so you get a situation like this where people get themselves into really difficult situations they don't understand, haven't thought about, and don't know how to deal with. And you see these kind of tragic consequences."

Western Canada Bear Problems Mounting. In the past year, Alberta and British Columbia have recorded a high number of bear-caused injuries. Here’s a brief list:

May 28: Lyle Simpson, 32, was chased and bitten on the arm by a grizzly but managed to escape after kicking the bear in the face. He was among a group of hikers in the aiparous area near Calgary.

May 20: Triathlete Julia Gerlach, 27, had part of her scalp torn off and lost part of an ear after a black bear attack about 150 kilometres north of Fort Nelson, B.C.

Oct. 17, 2004: A grizzly attacked a 73-year-old hunter in Robson Valley, east of Prince George in northern B.C. After being knocked to the ground and bitten on his arm, leg, and facial area, he got back to his feet and fired his rifle to scare off the bear.

Oct. 8, 2004: Fran Nykoluk, 54, said she survived a bear attack because she played dead. She was charged from behind by a bear while hunting with her husband in the Alberta foothills, south of Calgary. She suffered broken facial bones, needed stitches from ear to chin and also suffered injuries to her chest, legs and an arm.

Tips for Surviving a Bear Encounter. Every bear encounter is different, and bears are quite unpredictable, so there is no checklist to follow. Here, however, are a few general tips for surviving a close encounter with a bear.

1. Bear at a distance. If you see a bear far off, stop moving toward it. Slowly reverse course back down the trail until out of sight of the bear. Then, either use another trail or wait 20 minutes before hiking back along the original trail, making lots of noise.

2. Bear on or near the trail: Stand your ground and take out bear pepper spray, which you should keep easily accessible at all times. While continuing to face the bear, slowly back away until it’s out of sight and then consider another route or follow the advice in No. 1.

3. Bear at close range: Do not panic, run wildly, or scream. That could cause a bear to charge. Stand still and be quiet. Get your bear pepper spray ready. If the bear does not move closer, it probably isn't aggressive, but stay put until you are sure or it has left the area. Slowly back away, talking to the bear quietly in monotones. Do not turn your back on the bear, run, kneel down or make eye contact.

4. Charging bear: Again don't panic; many charges are bluffs. Have your bear pepper spray ready but don't spray unless the bear is within range, about 15-20 feet depending on the spray. If the bear charges then stops, follow the advice in No. 2, slowly backing away. If the bear doesn't stop, use the spray.

5. If pepper spray fails: Determine whether the bear is offensive or defensive. An offensive bear has purposely approached you from a distance; a defensive bear was suddenly surprised by you. If this is an offensive bear (any species, size, or gender, with or without cubs), fight back with all you have. If the bear was defensive, play dead—fall to the ground, laying flat on your stomach, leaving your pack on, with hands clasped behind your neck, staying still and silent. In most cases, a defensive bear will see your actions as non-threatening and leave, but if playing dead isn’t working, you should fight back.

For more detailed information, check out Bear Aware by Bill Schneider, FalconGuides 2004.

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