Man punches grizzly in face during bear attack in northern B.C.

CBC
·3 min read
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A man was attacked by a female grizzly in northern B.C., but he remembered a story he'd heard about another person in a similar situation and fought back. (Alan Rogers/Casper Star-Tribune/The Associated Press - image credit)
A man was attacked by a female grizzly in northern B.C., but he remembered a story he'd heard about another person in a similar situation and fought back. (Alan Rogers/Casper Star-Tribune/The Associated Press - image credit)

A B.C. cyclist is recovering after a run-in with a grizzly and two cubs that ended with the bear getting punched in the face.

According to conservation officer Matthew Corbett, a man was riding his bike along a forested trail next to Anderson Flats Provincial Park in northwest B.C. when he surprised a female grizzly and her two cubs in a clearing.

"The bear just immediately charged him, knocked him down," Corbett said.

But the man put his bike between himself and the bear, which prevented him from being hurt as the bear continued to make contact with the bike.

And then, he did something unexpected: he punched the bear in the face.

"He told me that he remembered hearing a story on CBC at some point where a man punched a bear in the nose to get it off of him," Corbett said.

That story, which was published online in 2017, centred around a Vancouver Island man who, similarly, punched a grizzly in the face while he was being attacked.

Corbett said the man in this most recent situation "swung as hard as he could," which prompted the bear to run off into the bush. The man was able to ride his bike out of the park and catch a ride home from other park users, Corbett said.

Corbett, who has been a conservation officer for 13 years, said this is the first time he's heard of someone punching a grizzly in the face.

"This situation is really unique, I'd say," he said.

A Grizzly bear at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove, British Columbia on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
A Grizzly bear at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove, British Columbia on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

A grizzly bear is pictured at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove, B.C., on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

And while punching a bear worked for this particularly lucky cyclist, the advice for grizzly encounters does not include winding up and slugging the animals, which can grow to as large as 500 kilograms, according to the province.

Parks Canada said the best way to handle a bear attack is to avoid an encounter altogether by making noise near streams, berry patches and other areas bears may frequent. It also says people should travel in groups and use officially marked paths.

The federal agency also suggests carrying bear spray.

If a grizzly bear does attack, Parks Canada said your reaction should depend on whether the animal is defensive or not.

If it's defensive, for example, it's protecting its young, Parks Canada says you should:

  • Appear non-threatening and speak in a calm voice.

  • If the bear stops advancing, start slowly moving away.

  • If it keeps coming closer, stand your ground, keep talking, and use bear spray.

  • If the bear makes contact, fall on the ground, play dead and wait for the bear to leave.

If it's not defensive, potentially looking at you as prey, looking at you intently with ears up, Parks Canada suggests:

  • Speak in a firm voice and move out of the bear's path.

  • If it follows you, stop and stand your ground.

  • Make lots of loud noise.

  • Act aggressively; try to intimidate the bear.

  • If it gets close, use bear spray.

Corbett said the man is recovering from minor injuries he got when he crashed his bike but was not hurt by the bear.