Hikers are being warned to stay out of Capilano River Park after a black bear chased a North Shore man approximately two kilometres down a trail early Monday morning.
The 35-year-old hiker was walking in the wooded area west of the Capilano River when he saw “what he initially thought was a large dog,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department.
After realizing the dog was a 200-pound black bear, the hiker started making loud noises in an attempt to “bluff the bear” out of the area. The bear was not bluffed, according to Palmer, who said the man briefly came face to snout with the bear.
The young black bear followed the retreating hiker, and as the hiker switched gears from walking to fleeing, the incident turned into a chase.
Nearby hikers heard screams and dialed 911 as the man attempted to outrun the bear, tumbling over uneven terrain.
“He had scratches and bruises all over him,” said West Vancouver assistant fire chief Martin Leduc.
The bear sniffed and nuzzled the man’s groin but did not scratch or bite. “Fortunately, his only injuries were superficial scrapes,” Palmer said.
Police arrived on the scene and escorted the man to safety but did not locate the bear.
Conservation officers set up a trap in the hopes of snagging the approximately three-year-old bear but to press time had not made a decision to kill the bear, according to conservation officer Murray Smith.
If the bear is unafraid of people and attracted to human foods he will likely be destroyed, according to Smith.
While they like to give the animal the benefit of the doubt, when it comes to dense neighbourhoods “we just can’t take the chance,” Smith said.
The incident is a reminder for residents to pick the fruit from their trees and lock up their garbage.
“If you’re going to feed the birds, do it in winter when the bears are sleeping,” he said.
Residents who fail to secure bear attractants can face a $345 fine, Smith noted.
The incident is a reminder bears are out and about during the summer, Palmer said.
“If you’re going to be hiking in heavily wooded park areas … people should absolutely be aware that they could encounter a bear.”
Generally, hikers should try to make enough noise so the bear “hears you long before it sees you.”
Hikers should also be mindful of giving bears a clear path to escape, particularly if they’re attempting to scare the bear out of the area.
The incident is unusual, noted Christine Miller, education co-ordinator with the North Shore Black Bear Society.
“Normally, a bear doesn’t chase you,” she said.
Fleeing from a bear can trigger the animal’s chase response, she explained.
Bear spray on a belt holster is “the best protection you can have,” Miller said.
The incident comes shortly after footage of a black bear swatting at a tent near Capilano River showed up on YouTube.
If it is the same bear, the experience could have “fouled things up” in the animal’s relations with humans, Miller said.
The Capilano River incident comes two days after a 10-year-old girl was mauled by a bear in Port Coquitlam.
Despite early reports, the incident was a “close encounter,” not an attack, specified West Vancouver spokeswoman Donna Powers.
There have been several bear sightings in the area recently, according to Powers.
“They come for the food,” she said.
