ALBERTA, CANADA, June 27 (Billings News Online) — A viral bear encounter from Alberta’s Kananaskis Country is renewing safety advice for hikers and dog walkers heading into grizzly country.
Alberta Forestry and Parks identified the location as near Mount Engadine Lodge on the Rummel Lake Trail in Spray Lakes Provincial Park, where a woman walking with her dog was filmed as a grizzly bear followed her and made repeated charges. In the footage, she backs away slowly and keeps talking to the bear instead of running.
The National Park Service says people should not run from a bear, including during a bluff charge, because sudden movement can trigger a predatory reaction. The agency says the right response depends on the bear’s behavior.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee gives similar advice. It says people should back away slowly when a bear is not engaged, stand their ground during a charge and use bear spray when appropriate. The committee also says bears can outrun people over short distances.
The video has spread widely online, drawing fresh attention to the basics of bear-country travel for people planning hikes in western Canada and other grizzly habitat.
