Alberta woman escapes charging grizzly bear after encounter while walking her dog

An Alberta woman narrowly escaped a grizzly bear after it stalked and chased her while she was walking her dog in Kananaskis Country.

According to Global News Canada, the encounter occurred near Mount Engadine Lodge. Jelmer de Blois, a licensed hiking and wilderness guide with Wilderness Escape Adventures, said the woman, identified as Jessie, was taking her dog for a morning walk when a grizzly bear appeared on the road she was on.

Video of the encounter shows the bear circling Jessie and her dog. "I felt scared, very confused, unsure what the next move should be," Jessie said.

As the bear continued approaching, Jessie threw her coffee mug to distract it. The bear briefly stopped to investigate the mug, giving her an opportunity to run. Moments later, however, the grizzly chased her again.

"She darted into one of the tents at camp, while others nearby yelled and waved their arms as a distraction," she said. Eventually, the bear retreated into the woods.

"She made it inside with her dog and spent the next 15 minutes rewatching the footage until the bear wandered off and chased a moose," de Blois added.

Alberta Forestry and Parks confirmed it was aware of the incident, saying it occurred at Mount Engadine Lodge. Officials issued a bear warning for the lodge and nearby roads and trails.

The warning stated that "a grizzly bear exhibited persistent, dog-focused behaviour during an encounter with a hiker and their leashed dog."

The encounter is one of several recent bear incidents that have prompted warnings in Kananaskis Country and nearby Banff National Park. In a separate incident at an Alberta Parks campground, a family of four grizzly bears approached campsites, and one camper used bear spray after a bear tore a hole in his tent.

Following that encounter, Alberta Parks prohibited tent camping at two campgrounds, requiring visitors to use only hard-sided campers.