Hiker suffers serious injuries to arm in bear attack

A B.C. hiker received a nasty wakeup call — one with claws and teeth — while camping in a remote area on Mount McLean near Lillooet on Sunday.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the man, who was camping with his dog and a partner in a separate tent, awoke around 7 a.m. to the sound of a black bear sniffing around his tent. The service says when the man stepped out of the tent to yell at the bear in an attempt to scare it away, the animal launched a quick but devastating attack that left the man with serious injuries to his arm.

“The victim and his friend were able to hike to an area to call for help and they were eventually picked up by a helicopter,” said Chris Doyle, B.C.’s deputy chief conservation officer. “The man was treated in hospital.”

Doyle said a service predator attack team was flown to the scene to investigate, but determined the attack didn’t necessitate capturing or euthanizing the bear.

“No efforts were made by the (Service) to capture the bear involved, due to it being a surprise defensive encounter in a remote area,” he said.

Doyle said people should be aware that anytime they’re travelling in bear country that they may encounter a bruin.