Warning: Graphic photo
While wildlife sightings are common for backwoods hikers, unprovoked attacks are not, which makes Boundary resident Rachel Lautard’s recent tussle with a young black bear not only anomalous but also unsettling.
On Saturday, July 9, Lautard and her family, along with a friend, were hiking near Conkle Lake when Lautard and friend decided to increase their walking pace a little, subsequently separating themselves from the others. The friend then decided to do some jogging so ran on ahead.
Suddenly a young black bear emerged from the bush, apparently in pursuit of one of the family dogs.
Instead of running past Lautard, who had tucked herself off the trail in expectation of watching the bear continue its pursuit of the dog, it swung around and pounced on Lautard, knocking her to the ground.
There, a potentially deathly struggle began, as Lautard, who is slight yet extremely fit, did everything within her power to fend off her attacker, using bicycle kicks to prevent the bear from establishing control, buying herself some valuable time.
Meanwhile, her fellow hiker had rejoined Lautard in response to her screams for help, by which time the animal had withdrawn its attack though certainly remained a threat.
Lautard and her friend continued to make loud noises to encourage the bear to leave the area, which it finally did.
Lautard, meanwhile, was left with two significant injuries to her lower left leg, requiring nearly a dozen stitches, and making crutches a necessity.
Fortunately, her fellow hiker was a physician, and provided speedy attention to Lautard’s injuries, not only dressing the wounds but also administering antibiotics to prevent infection, a common complication of bear bites.
Conservation officers attended the site of the attack the next morning and recorded interviews regarding the incident, though the bear remained at large.
While recent statistics point toward an increase in bear attacks on humans in North America, due to factors such as food shortage and habitat encroachment, wildlife agencies are quick to stress that there is no cause for alarm, though that vigilance on the part of outdoor enthusiasts should continue to be paramount.
“We get year-to-year fluctuations in the number of encounters,” said Frank Ritcey of WildSafeBC in an interview with the CBC last fall.
“There’s nothing there to tell me there’s a larger conflict trend or some plot by the grizzly and black bear union. The normal berry supply isn’t there, but that’s not to say they’re all starving to death.”
For Lautard, the attack was something she will likely never forget, and, perhaps, will serve as another reminder to those hikers who choose to walk alone that taking some friends along is nearly always the smartest option.
