B.C. property owner survives showdown with charging grizzly

VANCOUVER A man trying to scare away a female grizzly and its cubs as they foraged for food on his B.C. property narrowly avoided being mauled by the charging animal.

The scary scene, captured by the man’s wife from inside the family ’s Bella Coola home, went viral after it was posted to YouTube in midOctober.

Lawrence Michalchuk explained in the video’s caption that he and his wife had just returned home from a weeklong trip. His in-laws, who were taking care of their children, told him bears were climbing fruit trees, digging holes looking for roots and pooping on his property.

The in-laws had tried to scare away the bears by shaking a bucket full of nuts and bolts, but were unsuccessful.

The next morning, Michalchuk’s dog began barking when the bears returned. The man grabbed his shotgun and three birdshot shells and went outside to scare them off.

After firing the first shot from below his front deck, Michalchuk saw the sow charging at him, so he ran inside the house.

When the bears began to walk away, he went outside again and fired a second shot. He also yelled at the sow to get her to depart faster.

Mama bear turned promptly around and started charging at Michalchuk again.

“I waited as long as I could, back-pedalling and losing my right (shoe), almost tripping me up, until she was just across the driveway, and then I shot, which did trip her up, so I turned and ran inside the house,” he wrote.

Michalchuk made it safely inside. The sow appeared to be stunned before running away with its cubs.

The man later tracked down the bear and noted he didn’t find any blood or hair in the area that would indicate it was injured.

“I’m just glad it was me and not the kids out there,” he said.

Michalchuk, who said he’s dealt with bears while working the last three-plus decades with the Department of Fisheries, reported the incident to B.C. conservation officers.