South Okanagan woman’s dog saves her during bear attack
PENTICTON – A South Okanagan woman is recovering from a harrowing bear attack in the Willowbrook area last week.
The woman was walking her dog when the bear attacked on Aug. 5. She suffered a badly broken arm, which required surgery, claw scratches to her back, and a cut to her face.
Conservation Officer Jim Beck says a call about the attack came in on the Environment Ministry's toll free line to report poachers or polluters.
He says traps were set in the vicinity of the attack and three officers patrolled the area that day. They spotted a black bear matching the description of the one involved, but were unable to catch or kill it.
Beck says the bear was killed the next day close to the location of the attack.
"The bear was healthy. The attack occurred in an open setting, so the bear wasn’t surprised and it wasn’t protecting cubs,” Beck says, adding there were no food sources near the attack site.
Beck says the woman’s dog distracted the bear, allowing her to to escape.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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