Two Ontario tourists are safe after an encounter with a grizzly bear in Banff National Park.
Hilary Grant and friend came within a few metres of a grizzly while they were on a hike earlier this week in the Alberta park.
The pair then made their way off the trail, and into the forest.
“She came closer, you saw her back,” Grant told CTV Calgary.
Unsure what to do, the pair laid down quietly in the grass.
“Do you just lay down, do we climb trees?” Grant recounted. “I’m like, ‘I can’t climb a tree.’”
Luckily for the pair, the grizzly, which is known by Parks Canada as Bear 148, didn’t take much interest in the women, and eventually walked away.
But it’s a story that could’ve ended badly if the bear had cubs or was in the mood for a meal.
“Bears are very opportunistic so they will eat any kind of food source that they can,” said Steve Michel, a wildlife specialist at Banff National Park.
He added that a shortage of berry crops has had some bears turning to cannibalism this season.
Experts say that hikers should take precautions heading into the woods, including carrying bear spray and bear bells. Rather than hide in the forest during a bear encounter, it’s better to keep a distance and then quietly back away.
Grant said that while the encounter was scary, she’s glad she caught the encounter on video with her cellphone.
Source: www.ctvnews.ca