Date: Mon, 23 Jul
2007 09:34:46 -0700
Subject: Mountain biker killed by bear in BC
Mountain
bikers go too fast downhill to be aware of their surroundings, surprising and
scaring the wildlife. Mountain biking can, in this case, be very detrimental to
one's health.
[from a friend]
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=74b2e56a-df0f-42b4-b7be-cb27186c2a12
Bear attack suspected in mountain biker's death
Linda Nguyen
Vancouver Sun
Monday, July 23, 2007
Members of the RCMP are investigating what appears to be the province's latest
bear attack after the body of a 34-year-old woman was
found near Invermere Sunday. The woman had set off
Saturday on the mountain biking trails at Panorama Mountain Village resort,
about 19 kilometres west of Invermere
in southeastern B.C.
She was reported missing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A search and rescue team found
her near the Panorama Mountain Bike Park around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Sarah
Harrison with the Ministry of Environment said. A black bear was found hovering
over the woman's body.
"They located her with the bear guarding the body at the time. The bear
was alive and the body wasn't," she said.
Harrison said the bear was shot and killed by an RCMP officer, before the
province's conservation officers arrived at the scene.
It's unclear if the bear, estimated to be about 54 kilograms (120 pounds), had
in fact fatally attacked the woman.
"They don't know whether the bear was the cause or whether it was just
there," said Mark Woodburn, vice-president of Panorama Mountain Village.
The ministry is investigating the incident and an autopsy will be done on the
bear to determine if it had killed the woman. An autopsy will also be done on
the woman. The mountain operations were closed Sunday as RCMP and conservation
officers investigated the incident.
"We're all shocked and saddened; something like this has never happened
before," said Eric Whittle, Panorama's director of sales and marketing.
During the summer, the mountain is a popular spot for mountain bikers who
can ride up chair lifts and ride down steep trails with varying degrees
of difficulty.
Another incident involving mountain bikers and bears
occurred on the weekend, when a couple near Banff found themselves face-to-face with a grizzly bear who was
protecting her young. The young Jasper couple were on
the Lake Minnewanka Trail around 8:15 p.m. Saturday
when they came upon two grizzly cubs. The grizzly sow charged at the
22-year-old woman and the 32-year-old man from behind, forcing the two to jump
off their bikes and make a run for it.
The two ran down to the lake, stumbling and falling on rocks as the bear huffed
very close to the man. The sow and cubs then left the area. The man and woman
were taken to hospital with minor cuts and scrapes.
A Clinton man was also lucky last week after surviving a bear attack during
a morning bike ride July 16. Roy Klopp, 56,
encountered an unusually aggressive bear around 11 a.m. on one of the
walking trails above Clinton near the Cariboo
Highway in the Kamloops-Thompson region.
The 90-kilogram bear tried to attack Klopp, a sawmill
worker, while his two dogs attempted to fend it off.
He escaped with minor injuries only after the young bear bit him in the behind.
Barbara Murray of Bear Matters BC said such incidents can be
prevented if cyclists take some precautions.
"People have to be bear aware in the woods," she said. "Look for
bear scat on the trail, look for animal carcasses or a big berry bush. You have
to be very alert and listen to cracking branches."
Murray said bears often attack because they're scared by cyclists.
"Usually most bears aren't dangerous. They get surprised and try to do
something, especially when they have cubs. But it only takes one swat
from a bear to kill a person," she said.
Earlier this month, two forestry workers also encountered a bear near Invermere. The July 4 attack happened near Akinkoom Creek, 50 kilometres
east of Canal Flats.
lnguyen@png.canwest.com
With files from CanWest News Service
The
Vancouver Sun 2007