In a couple of stories coming out of Beautiful British Columbia last weekend, the BC Conservation Officer Service was busy responding to calls from wildlife attacks from across the province. And while one victim did suffer some pretty horrendous injuries, everyone survived, mainly because they chose to fight back in the face of fear.
Two Bears, One Can
It was Saturday afternoon when the Conservation Officer Service broke the news of a grizzly bear attack near the Kootenay River in west Creston. Closely situated to the nearby rocky mountains, the river is a hotspot for both wildlife and weekend activities.
As told by the COS, a couple were enjoying an e-bike ride along the river’s edge when suddenly the female heard her husband scream out. Immediately frightened by the tone of his voice, she reportedly looked up and suddenly saw a large grizzly bear heading her way. Without missing a beat, the woman deployed her bear spray on her would-be attacker and soon learned that it was not that bear in question that had alarmed her husband.
No, just as she thwarted her attack, she turned her attention to her husband who was also under attack by another grizzly bear. Unperturbed, she approached the attacking bruin in an attempt to save her husband and opened fire with her still hot can of bear spray. After deployment, she reported that both of the bears retreated, although her husband was notably in rough condition.
She was able to contact emergency services who were promptly on-scene to take her husband to hospital via ambulance in nearby Cranbrook where he underwent emergency surgery to treat his injuries.
As of Sunday’s statement, BC’s COS has stated that while they have deployed traps in the area, the bears have not been located. All trails were set to remain closed for the time being.
Put ‘Em Up
In the second story of the weekend, this time coming out of the small northwestern town of Smithers, another Canadian found himself face-to-face with a formidable predator. According to the COS, the man was working Saturday morning around 11am in the Lake Kathryn area when he was approached and threatened by a large mountain lion. Unsure of what exactly the lion wanted, the man told authorities that the large cat was aggressive and swiped at his upper body, leaving lacerations on his torso.
According to the man, he’d had enough of the monkey business and squared up with the cat. The COS stated that the man engaged the cougar like an on-ice hockey brawl and punched the lion in the face, causing the animal to disengage and retreat.
The victim’s injuries were reportedly minor and officials in this case also deployed hound teams and live traps in an effort to capture the cat in question. No luck as of yet.
