A Salmon Arm woman injured by a black bear while out jogging has no hard feelings towards her attacker.

The woman was very lucky to have received only minor injuries in what was a surprise encounter for both her and the bear, said Conservation Officer Mike Richardson about the Nov. 21 incident that occurred around 11 a.m. on a private property near 50th Avenue SW.

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, this woman was running, she had her headphones on so she wasnB次元官网网址檛 really paying attention and didnB次元官网网址檛 obviously see the bear, and the bear didnB次元官网网址檛 see her until the last minute and, at that close proximity, the bear just kind of lashed out,B次元官网网址� said Richardson, explaining the startled bear was reacting defensively when it pushed the woman down from her chest area and proceeded to bite her on the head. Richardson said the bear then realized what it was doing, released the woman and ran off.

The woman was taken to hospital after the attack and released the same day. Richardson said she was glad the Conservation Officer Service has no plans to take action against the bear.

B次元官网网址淥ur investigation is leading us to believe this was a one-time thing, so weB次元官网网址檙e not taking any further action on this bear B次元官网网址� so it will not be pursued and destroyed,B次元官网网址� said Richardson. B次元官网网址淲e feel the threat to the public is very low because of where it is B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 on a rural private property. We did post bear aware signs in the area just in case anybody is back there, and other neighbours close by were also canvassed.

B次元官网网址淲hen we did talk to her, she did state she was glad that we were not taking any action on the bear. She felt that it was just a surprise encounterB次元官网网址� so she means no harm to the bear and she was very happy that we were not going to destroy it.B次元官网网址�

Richardson called the incident a rare occurrence, noting black bears tend to leave an area when they hear humans nearby. This is why he and the Conservation Officer Service recommend making noise when youB次元官网网址檙e out enjoying the woods/backcountry.

B次元官网网址淎lways make noise because most times bears, they hear us and they donB次元官网网址檛 want anything to do with us so they will disappearB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Richardson. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 good to travel in groups as well because more people make more noise. And I also recommend to people to carry bear spray as well, just in case they might need it because it works well on bears.B次元官网网址�

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