A 21-year-old woman planting trees was seriously injured by a bear in what authorities called a “defense attack” in western Canada.
The attack happened just after 3 p.m. Thursday near Bearhole Lake Provincial Park outside of Tumbler Ridge, a small town in northeastern British Columbia, according to a press release from the province’s Conservation Officer Service.
“The bear first attacked bluffing and the victim retreated to a nearby road where the bear attacked,” officials said.
The bear eventually ran away and a colleague of the woman came to her aid and called for help, the agency said.
A woman was seriously injured in a bear attack in British Columbia, according to the province’s Conservation Officer Service. BC Conservation Officer Service
The victim was helicoptered to a hospital in Prince George and authorities said her condition is now stable.
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Conservation officers who responded to the scene determined that bears had been in the area, but did not spot any. Officials say they have no conclusive evidence but believe it was a grizzly bear that attacked the woman.
According to statistics from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, there are an estimated 120,000 to 160,000 black bears in the province — about one bear per seven square kilometers. The province’s grizzly bear population is estimated at between 10,000 and 13,000 animals and is considered endangered.
Conflicts between bears and humans are considered “relatively rare,” the ministry said, unless the animals are startled or protecting their cubs or food.
However, three people were injured, two seriously, in a “rare predation” by a black bear last October, the CBC reported. This attack also occurred in northeastern British Columbia, outside of the town of Dawson Creek.
Since 2019, calls about predatory grizzly bear attacks have doubled, and in some cases even tripled, according to statistics released by the province. According to statistics, there were 11 calls for predatory grizzly bear attacks in 2018-2019, and 36 calls for attacks the following year. As of April 2023 – the latest monthly statistics have been released – there have been 29 calls for attacks.
On Thursday, officials urged the public to “take precautions in the event of wildlife encounters, including carrying bear spray, traveling in groups and ensuring pets are kept on a leash.”
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