A B.C. wildfire fighter was scratched and bitten by a grizzly bear while on the job Friday, the B.C. Wildfire Service says.
It happened Friday morning at the Summit Lake fire, about 110 kilometres west of Fort Nelson, in the province’s far northeast, said B.C. Wildfire information assistant Emily Baker.
“A crew leader was scouting ahead of the group and encountered a mother grizzly bear with two cubs,” she said. “In a matter of seconds, the mother bear charged the individual.”
She said the crew leader used a “hand tool” to fight off the bear while yelling for help, and other crew members ran to the scene while running chainsaws and yelling in order to scare the bear off.
The victim was airlifted to hospital with “fairly minor injuries” and has since been released, she said.
Bear won’t be destroyed
Conservation officers say they interviewed the man and a witness, deeming the attack was in a remote location and “defensive in nature,” and the service will therefore not try to capture or kill the animal.
According to WildSafeBC, grizzly attacks are rare but can be fatal, though there is an average of fewer than one fatal attack in B.C. every five years.
The service says that, unlike black bears, who are more likely to retreat from a perceived threat, grizzlies evolved in a treeless environment that has led to them attacking when they feel unsafe.
The service recommends making noise while hiking in grizzly habitats in an attempt to avoid surprising them.
Parks Canada says if a grizzly bear does attack, the 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.
