Bear Attack -- A True Story

 

 Bear Attack -- A True Story

August 15, 1998 Bear Attack – A True Story 

It was a black bear, about the size of an average woman. I watched as it landed on top of a girl that we had just met a short time before. She had been hitchhiking along the road to Moraine Lake when we broke the rule: never pick up a hitchhiker. But she was a clean-cut, college girl and young folks hitchhike a lot in Canada -- especially in and near their National Parks. It actually made me feel good to give her a ride. She was a little late to her job in the Moraine Lodge Gift Shop and was very grateful for the ride. She chatted easily with us about her recent graduation from college in Ontario and about her job prospects. She would be looking for a teaching job in the fall. I asked if she would accept a job in a small Indian school in the Northwest Territories if it were offered. “Well, not really,” came her reply. “I would prefer to teach somewhere in Ontario.”

As she chatted, she had no way of knowing that she would soon be attacked by a bear. While watching the attack, defense tactics against bear attack flitted though my mind. The first rule is: do not run! The bear will think that you are prey and will be more likely to chase you. You cannot outrun a bear because some can run up to 40 miles per hour. But how do you run with a bear on your back anyway? To defend against black bears, it is sometimes recommended that you climb as high in a tree as possible and kick down at the bear as it climbs up after you. He may claw your legs a bit, but a few kicks in the snout may reduce his aggressive behavior. However, it is sorta hard to climb a tree if the bear is already on your back. If the bear attacking you is a grizzly, stand as tall as you can and talk softly. Do not look directly into his eyes. If it is clear that he is going to swat you, fall to the ground, form your body into a ball and place your hands over the back of your neck. The grizzly may bat you around, but at least he won’t eat you. At some point he will tire of the game and go look for some kind of meat that does not smell so bad. Some slightly mangled folks have been known to survive such an attack. A black bear may actually eat you! But back to the poor young teacher! If she had only been wearing a bell or making some noise, the bear might have heard her coming and left her alone. 

Bears usually prefer to avoid human contact. If they know you are coming, they will usually get out of your way. They are most dangerous along a noisy river where they cannot hear you coming -- especially if you happen upon them unannounced so that they are surprised. Alaskan wildlife experts suggest wearing bells when hiking so that a bear knows of your presence. You can buy assorted sizes of these bear repelling bells at the gift shop in Glacier National Park in Montana. However, in Banff National Park the question is asked, “How do you separate black bear scat (dung) from grizzly bear scat?” Maybe in jest the wildlife experts answer, “The grizzly bear scat has bells in it!” Running from a bear brings to mind the story about the two hikers who saw a large bear who had picked up their scent. Immediately, one of the hikers dropped his back pack and put on his running shoes. The other hiker said, "What are you doing that for? You know we can't outrun that bear." The other one replied, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you." 

Grizzly bears are accustomed to dominating other species of animals -- they have no serious predators. They are top predators in the food chain and do not wish to be relegated to a position of second best. Therefore, if you invade his territory or he sees you as a competitor in his favorite berry patch, he may try to run you off or run you over. However, bears are less likely to attack if you are not alone -- like maybe you should invite the offensive and defensive linemen of the Green Bay Packers to hike with you. But once the bear has begun his attack, what do you do? Well, one guy who was attacked last week in Banff National Park got scratched and chewed up a little before he could retrieve a canister of fuel from his backpack. He whacked the bear on the nose a couple of times with this canister and the bear decided to leave him alone. He was found by a passing hiker and is now recovering in the hospital. But I digress. 

Here was this girl, bent way over under the weight of this bear on her back. The bear’s muzzle was pressed against the back of her neck. “Was she hurt?” I wondered. “What can I do to help without risking my own life? If she is badly injured, how will I attend her wounds?” The answers came quickly. Mustering her strength, she stood upright and somehow turned her body around so that she was facing the bear. Then she grabbed the animal under its front legs, lifted it up and placed it back up on the shelf from which it had fallen. It was now back at home with the other large, stuffed animals -- in perfect position to attack its next victim.