Image Credit: Ashley Gribble

By Jill Sperling

Bear Safety

Hikers reminded to prepare when heading out into bear country

May 15, 2019 | 4:49 PM

KAMLOOPS — It was a terrifying encounter with wildlife, a young woman and her dogs were stalked by a bear between McQueen Lake and Isobel Lake earlier this month.

“When the bear approached she deployed bear spray and was unsuccessful in hitting the bear,” said Conservation Officer Rob Armstrong. “As she was stepping backwards she fell down, tripped over a rock and fell down, and the bear lunged towards her and at that time was intercepted by one of the dogs.”

Her dog, Bane, was picked up by the black bear and carried off.

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Moons

Dec 10, 2024

Question of the Week

Should Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson apologize or resign after it was found he breached a section of council's code of conduct for allowing false or misleading information to be communicated?

Dec 09, 2024

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Donald has it wrong - again

Dec 08, 2024

“She picked up a log and struck the bear several times and was able to free the dog,” Armstrong said. “At that point the bear disengaged for a period of time and she continued on to the vehicle with her dogs.”

Aside from going after the bear, Armstrong says the woman did everything right.

“I believe based on the facts that I have that she did a very good job, and she remained a lot calmer than many people would be able to,” he said. “She deployed the bear spray, that was unsuccessful, aside from that I think she did everything right.”

Almost anywhere you go in British Columbia is considered bear country and people are encouraged to be prepared anytime they go out on a trail.

Vanessa Isnardy, provincial coordinator for WildSafeBC, says bear spray is effective in deterring grizzlies and black bears more than 90 per cent of the time.

“It really incapacitates them,” Isnardy said. “It’s made of hot peppers basically and it’s very irritating so as soon as a bear walks into that cloud of spray, they go in the other direction, they lose all the fight.”

Isnardy recommends dogs stay on-leash on the trail.

“It was found that after a view of many black bear attacks in North America that over 50 per cent of the time there was a dog involved, so dogs and bears don’t mix,” she said.

Armstrong says he doesn’t believe the dogs were at fault for the incident near McQueen Lake.

“The dogs that were with this woman were very well-behaved, they stayed with her, they weren’t provoking the bear,” he said.

For more bear safety tips click here.