RCMP, Conservation and Fish and Wildlife officers tape off a trail bordering Three Sisters Parkway where a bear attack occurred in Canmore on Wednesday (July 20).
A female cyclist was attacked by a bear on the Lowline Trail off Three Sisters Parkway in Canmore, Wednesday (July 20) evening.
The attack is the second in two days in southern Alberta, after a woman was mauled and bitten by a grizzly in the Waiparous area, Tuesday.
In a press release, Alberta Health Services states that at about 7:30 p.m., EMS paramedics responded to the Lowline Trail after a report of a bear attack. RCMP, along with Conservation and Fish and Wildlife officers, responded to the scene, closing the area in question.
According to Adam Loria of AHS, personnel found an injured female believed to be in her 20s suffering from a serious soft tissue injury to her upper torso, which resulted in internal injuries.
The cyclist reported she and a friend were biking in the area when they came across a bear, believed to be a brown bear. As they attempted to ride away, the bear struck the cyclist.
The second cyclist, who was uninjured, was able to deploy bear spray, resulting in the bear leaving the area. The pair rode for a distance where they were able to call for EMS.
The injured female was subsequently transported to Canmore General Hospital. She was conversing with paramedics en route to hospital and is considered in stable, non life-threatening condition.
Wildlife managers remained in the area looking for the bear until dark.
STARS Air Ambulance was initially put on standby, but eventually cancelled by EMS.
In the Waiparous incident, a 25-year-old woman was airlifted by STARS to Foothills Hospital in Calgary with non-life threatening injuries, including a bite to her forearm. Alberta Fish and Wildlife reports she was bitten by a sow grizzly that had two cubs with her.
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