Pass us the defibrillator.
This is pretty scary stuff from Canada as cyclist Brad Paras and his cousin Dan came THIS close to having their heads divorced from their necks by a grizzly bear.
Brad wrote of the experience:
“While mountain biking in Jasper, Alberta on August 4, 2013, my cousin Dan and I were charged by a grizzly sow three times.
“We were riding single track just outside of Jasper town-site (9c) when the encounter occurred. I rode to the top of a hill and applied the brakes to wait for Dan and plan my descent. My brakes squealed a bit, then I heard a growl and looked to my right to see a grizzly bear charging at me.
“After careening down the hill a bit on my bike, I was able to distance myself from the bear. According to Dan, who was subsequently charged, the sow stopped on the trail where I had been standing.
“When Dan arrived on the scene, he created a distraction, which drew the bear to him. He managed to grab the bear spray from his bag in time to brace himself, but the bear stopped approximately 10 meters from him – just outside the spray’s effective range. Frankly, I’m glad we didn’t have to injure the mother in any way.
“Meanwhile, I worked my way along the bottom of the gully toward Dan so that I wasn’t alone in the rough bush. As I reached him, the sow and her cub charged toward us slightly once more before heading away in the direction that we had come from.
“We waited a few minutes, then walked away from the scene along the trail with bear spray in hand.”
Hat-tip to Storyful for giving us the full insight into this remarkable piece of footage.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
