Two Solo Hikers Survive Separate Grizzly Attacks

A solo hiker in British Columbia managed to walk out on his own after a grizzly bear knocked him down in the backcountry near Pemberton on Sunday. Conservation officers say the encounter near Rutherford Creek was a close-range surprise and "defensive in nature," leaving the man with non-life-threatening injuries and no ongoing threat identified to others in the area, reports CTV. It was the second such attack in a week in the area.

In early August, a 72-year-old woman suffered a broken neck and multiple lacerations after a female grizzly with at least one cub attacked her north of town, per the CBC. Bear experts are urging trail and campsite reroutes away from key feeding zones, seasonal closures in prime grizzly habitat, and standard precautions: travel in groups, make noise, avoid dawn and dusk, and carry bear spray. "It's hard on bears," says research scientist Lana Ciarniello. "We are taking up a lot of habitat and bears need a home."