A 25-year old man is in hospital in stable condition after having fallen out of a tree he climbed to escape a bear. Julien Landry had spent the day working in orchards near Summerland, in the western province of British Columbia. Afterwards, he decided to go for a hike in the nearby Trout Creek canyon.
The area is beautiful and full of wildlife. Suddenly a mother bear appeared with some cubs. Most Canadians can tell you mama bears are notoriously cranky and protective. This one charged Landry and he escaped by climbing a nearby tree. As the bears circled below, he got tired and eventually fell asleep, lost his grip and fell to the ground.
Landry estimates he was unconscious for about a day and a half, and when he awoke, he was unable to walk. So he buried himself in the dirt to try to avoid hypothermia.
Five-day ordeal
A friend had reported the man missing, but rescuers were unable to find him. It was a local man out for his daily walk with his dog who finally found Landry and called for help. By now Landry had been in the woods for five days. He had suffered a severe concussion, bleeding in his stomach, bruised ribs and broken vertebrae. He underwent emergency surgery and is expected to make a good recovery.
‘Talk to the bear’
Bears are common in the forests and mountains of British Columbia and hikers are encouraged to make noise or wear bells to warn them away, or to carry especially-designed repellent spray. If you do meet one, wildlife specialist Tony Webb advises against running away or climbing trees to escape. He says it’s better to stand your ground, talk to the bear in a quiet voice and usually it will walk away. Good luck with that.
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