A Canmore resident bluff charged by bear 148 on Monday (July 3) said he hopes authorities take proper precautions to close off areas frequented by the grizzly to prevent a similar – or worse – incident from occurring.
Jesse Sanderson was pushing his young daughter in a stroller while walking his leashed dog on the Quarry Lake trail, about 200 metres from the Peaks of Grassi intersection, when he spotted the female grizzly a mere 20 feet away.
Though the bear noticed them, it was not provoked in any way. Sanderson said his dog did not react or bark and they did not surprise the animal.
“We didn’t just run up on it or anything,” he said. “We were walking pretty slowly, and I was talking with my dog, so it probably heard us coming.
“It charged immediately and I yelled at it and it stopped maybe 10 feet away from us.”
The bear then retreated a few steps as Sanderson turned the stroller around and began moving away. He said the bear moved a few steps closer, but did not follow them any further.
Although Sanderson was carrying bear spray, he said it would have been all but useless until he could distance himself enough from the bear.
“It came up fast enough that there was no chance you’d ever get a can of bear spray out in time,” he said. “It was completely on us. If it wanted to attack us, it could have.”
Sanderson said he was aware of the bear being in the area the week prior, and knew she was back in Canmore, but did not know she was so close to the residential neighbourhood and heavily used trail.
Sanderson doesn’t believe bear 148 should be killed over the incident and that because the bear is being monitored, authorities should have known to close off the area – as they had done the previous week.
“If they’re saying it has one more strike before they’re euthanizing it, and if it’s in the area and the trails are open, it’s going to run into somebody or bluff charge somebody,” said Sanderson.
“Based on the history of this bear, there probably will be more encounters. The trail should be getting closed if it’s in the area.”
