British Columbia cyclist Kevin Milner was rounding a downhill corner on a North Vancouver trail last Monday evening when he slammed into another road user crossing in front of him.
The collision 91裸聊视频� which sent Milner flying and left him with a broken scapula, cardiac contusion and other injuries 91裸聊视频� didn91裸聊视频檛 involve a car or another cyclist. Milner91裸聊视频檚 bike had T-boned a black bear.
91裸聊视频淭he last thing I saw of the bear before the accident was just him running. I can see his muscles as he was charging across the road, and I just hit him right behind the shoulder blade and then I kind of launched myself over top of him,91裸聊视频� said Milner, whose expects it will take six weeks to recover.
Milner91裸聊视频檚 accident on the Seymour Demonstration Forest trail was unusual, but authorities are warning that with spring in full swing, bears across B.C. are emerging from their dens and encounters with humans are on the rise.
Shelley Fiorito, a community coordinator with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen in B.C.91裸聊视频檚 southern Interior, said her phone is already buzzing with people sharing their interactions with bears.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e had a couple of really warm spells in the last couple of weeks, so everything is getting nice and green in the valley bottom,91裸聊视频� Fiorito said.
91裸聊视频淭he wildlife is coming down, especially the bears when they come out of the denning, they are looking for forage and sources of water.91裸聊视频�
Fiorito said disasters such as wildfires and flooding can also affect how wildlife moves in the region, leading to more potential human encounters with bears.
The district said bear-human interactions reached new highs there in 2022.
BC Conservation Officer Service statistics meanwhile show 479 black bears were killed by its officers over the past year ending in April.
Fiorito said a spike in bear sightings could be related to the increase in people working from home in the wake of the pandemic, adding to food waste in garbage that could be attracting the animals.
91裸聊视频淕arbage is a big thing, but bird feeders, particularly bird seed is a really high-calorie meal for bears that are looking to replenish their body fat,91裸聊视频� she said.
Bears can smell five times better than dogs, the district said in a news release. Its advice to avoid drawing bears into a neighourhood includes freezing smelly food waste, removing bird feeders and storing all garbage in a secure area.
Ellie Lamb, director of community outreach for the Get Bear Smart Society, said bears are active in May, as mother bears show their cubs around fishing spots and foraging grounds.
91裸聊视频淭hat could be anywhere in her home range where she lives and she teaches these young bears how to survive, who to be careful of,91裸聊视频� said Lamb.
Extra caution is needed around mother bears, said Lamb.
She said hikers who encounter bears on a forest trail should give them space by moving off the trail and letting the bears walk by, with bear spray in hand, she said.
91裸聊视频淢y teaching is don91裸聊视频檛 be afraid of them and just be respectful of them and give them space,91裸聊视频� said Lamb, whose organization aims to minimize the number of bears killed as a result of interactions with humans.
Still, she said, it91裸聊视频檚 important to set boundaries.
91裸聊视频淭ell them what91裸聊视频檚 acceptable and what91裸聊视频檚 not.91裸聊视频�
Cyclist Milner didn91裸聊视频檛 have that option in the split seconds before he crashed into the bear, which he said appeared to be unhurt as it nibbled on grass after their collision.
He attributes the painful encounter to bad luck.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just kind of a hard-to-avoid situation. I mean, you if you were driving your car and say a bear or a deer jumps out on the highway, (there91裸聊视频檚 only) so much you can do, right?91裸聊视频�
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
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