A woman used bear spray to save her husband’s life in a grizzly bear attack on a Canadian trail.
On Saturday, the couple was e-biking along the Kootenay River when they encountered two grizzly bears, according to British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service.
The woman had heard her husband scream and then saw a grizzly bear running at her, officials say.
“She used bear spray and then noticed a second grizzly bear attacking her husband. She again used bear spray and both bears ran off,” the Conservation Officer Service wrote in a Facebook post last Sunday.
A woman used bear spray to save her husband’s life after a grizzly bear, not pictured, attacked him on a Canadian trail (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images)
The man was left with “significant injuries” and taken to a hospital for surgery, according to officials.
Officials swept the area twice but no bears were seen. Three major trails in the area were closed off and traps were set.
In a follow-up post Monday, the Conservation Officer Service found the grizzly bear attack was “defensive in nature.”
They said the couple “likely startled the two bears in a surprise encounter on a corner of the trail, which is bordered by thick brush.”
Officials found no evidence the bears were stalking or hunting the couple, leading officials to choose not to “capture or dispatch the bears.”
The trails remained closed “as a precautionary measure” at the time of the follow-up post.
“These people were well-prepared. They had bear spray, had it readily accessible, and knew how to use it,” Conservation Officer Service Inspector Dave Webster said in the follow-up post. “We’d like to recognize these actions and encourage anyone hiking, biking or recreating in bear country to take similar precautions.”
The National Park Service says bear attacks are rare, but warns to take precautions by distancing yourself from the animals.
Officials say the grizzly attack was ‘defensive in nature’ (Parks Canada/Dan Rafla)
If you are attacked by a grizzly bear, the service says to “play dead.”
“Lay flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over,” the service writes on its website.
If the bear continues to attack, the service advises you to fight back.
“Use whatever you have at hand to hit the bear in the face,” the service writes.
