SALMON ARM — A Shuswap man walking his dog had a close encounter with a black bear last Friday.
Conservation officer Tanner Beck says the pair were walking the Sky View trail at Larch Hills in Salmon Arm, when the off-leashed dog spotted the bear.
The dog darted towards the large mammal, but got pinned underneath it. The pet eventually managed to escape.
Beck says the bear then turned its attention to the man. When the animal got dangerously close, the man grabbed his walking stick and smacked the bear twice.
“Striking [the bear] in the face was perfect because it showed the bear that this wasn’t an easy meal or something that can be beat up,” says Beck.
“It’s pretty common for bears to act aggressively towards dogs because they see them as either a coyote or wolf, which in the wild, they are competitors for the same food sources. If a bear gets a chance, it will kill and eat [dogs].”
The Sky View trail closed for a short time while conservation officers patrolled the area but did not find any bears.
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Beck advises that people carry bear spray with them.
— with files from Megan Turcato
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