An altercation with a grizzly bear that sent a male in his 50s to hospital with serious soft-tissue injuries on the weekend is a reminder to exercise caution this season until the predators retreat into winter hibernation.
The incident took place in the Harold Creek area, west of Water Valley on July 2. Didsbury RCMP responded to a complaint of a bear attack at approximately 12:55 p.m. where a lone male had encountered a bear.
After successfully freeing himself from the bear by fighting it off with walking sticks as it attempted to drag him, the man found his way to his vehicle and drove to a nearby store to meet with park rangers.
The man did have bear spray but was not able to successfully deploy it. He was transported by ambulance to a Calgary area hospital.
Brendan Cox, public affairs officer for Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, said that the 108 bear occurrences this year-to-date in the Cochrane-Canmore region are within the normal range. This figure does not include the provincial parks and recreation areas in the Kananaskis region, which are managed by conservation officers and have their own numbers.
He explained that “occurrences” include everything from sightings to livestock predation.
While he said officers have reported fewer garbage-bear incidents, there have been reports of bears getting into grain. Those working around cereal crops should be cautious, particularly at dusk and dawn.
Maintenance of granaries is essential – sturdy, locking doors and overall sound construction, as well as clean up of spills and wasted grain. Electric fencing is recommended, whenever possible.
The curious and clever ursa possess an excellent sense of smell and can and will get into unsealed containers with ease – which can be problematic for campers and hikers.
