Cyclist “swung as hard as he could” and punched grizzly bear in the face – it worked – MASHAHER

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When it comes to staying safe in bear country, you’ve probably heard about the virtues of making noise while you’re hiking to scare bears away and carrying bear spray in case a grizzly charges you. But slugging a bear in the face? That’s a new one.

The unusual uppercut technique worked for one BC cyclist recently, however, when he was riding his bike near Anderson Flats Park and startled a grizzly and her two cubs who were in a clearing near the road.

In an interview with CBC, Parks Canada conservation officer Matthew Corbett says the mama bear immediately charged the cyclist, who put his bike between himself and the bear to ward off injury and this gave him time to think about a story he’d heard years ago.

“He told me that he remembered hearing a story on CBC at some point where a man punched a bear in the nose to get it off of him,” says Corbett.

Then, he says, the quick-thinking man “swung as hard as he could” and clocked the bear in the face. The surprised grizzly took off into the woods and the cyclist was able to ride to safety.

Staying safe in bear country

While a swift jab to the nose seems to have worked in this instance, as well as back in a 2017 incident in Vancouver, it’s not the recommended tactic for staying safe around grizzlies.

The best way to deal with a bear encounter is to prevent it in the first place, by making noise and staying aware as you travel through the backcountry. If you see a bear, don’t run as this may prompt it to chase you. Staying facing it and back away slowly with your bear spray in hand.

If a grizzly bear charges you and you are unable to deploy your bear spray, the official advice is to play dead, lying face down with your hands interlaced behind your neck for protection. Keep holding your bear spray as this saved one hiker earlier this year when an attacking bear bit the canister and it exploded. Learn more in our article on what to do if you meet a bear.