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Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
Calgary couple survives ‘frightening' encounter with grizzly bear
Saturday seemed like the perfect day to celebrate 11 years of marriage for Howard Mah and Lori Arnason. 'I said to Howard, 'what should we do today?' Arnason recalls. 'We thought, 'let's go out to the mountains.' The Calgary couple travelled to Kananaskis. Surprised by the lack of hikers on the usually-bustling Troll Falls trail, the couple enjoyed the serenity. Mah was just about to take a picture of his wife when they were greeted by one of the locals. 'I'm walking ahead and then he said 'No Lori… Stop! Come back,' Arnason said. Just up the trail from Arnason was a grizzly bear. 'In some respects, it's kind of like 'Wow,'' Mah said. 'Neither of us had seen a grizzly in real life before.' Story continues below advertisement The pair slowly backed away from the bear, which ventured onto the trail towards them for roughly 10 minutes — a stretch of time that felt much longer. With his phone still out, Mah captured a heart-stopping video of the bear following them back down the path. 'I think somehow we thought it would just follow us for a little bit and get bored with us,' Arnason remarked. 'But it continued to follow us… so we quickened our pace a little bit.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Mah and Arnason say the bear finally went on its way once they made themselves large and started roaring at it. 4:31 Bear Days looks to educate Albertans bear awareness Wildlife expert John Clarke says the wet weather in southern Alberta this year has changed wildlife patterns — something hikers should note. Story continues below advertisement 'So far with the amount of moisture we're getting, that's perfect for berry growth. With the ripening of these berries, you're going to see the bears cruising 24/7 looking for that food source,' the owner of Canadian Bear Safety Authority said after watching Mah's video. 'In this case, the bear was on a mission to go somewhere, using the same trail … they just bumped in to each other. If it was a bluff charge, there would have been a lot more happening — I think the bear was more curious and standing up.' Clarke says the couple did the right thing by backing away slowly, but says no one should use their phone during an encounter like this. 'This is a predator.' Mah and Arnason were quick to admit they didn't have bear spray — a mistake they say they won't make again. 'We were basically not prepared for hiking in bear country,' Mah said. 'Most people know that you should be talking loudly (if you encounter a bear), and we did know that — I don't know why we weren't,' Arnason said. 'When you see something like this, go talk to a Fish and Wildlife Officer or a Conservation Officer,' Clarke said. Story continues below advertisement 'If you're going to spend time in the wilderness, carry bear spray with you … take some courses and know how to use it.' Clarke adds bears aren't the only wildlife you should be aware of on the trails — the area is also frequented by cougars and moose, among other predatory species. 'Take five minutes. Stop, look and listen. If you hear a squirrel yipping, they always chatter if they see something walk by them. If you see a deer run away for no reason, maybe something is chasing them.' The couple made it back home safe and sound — and warned other hikers at the bottom of the trail. Alberta Parks has issued a bear warning for the trail in light of the incident. For Mah and Arnason, the encounter only resulted in an uncommon story — and a lesson learned from an experience that could have ended much worse. 'That was really frightening,' Arnason said.
The Province
03-07-2025
- The Province
Calgary woman injured in bobcat encounter, days after similar incident
Fish and Wildlife said bobcats rarely pose an imminent public safety risk, but residents are encouraged to educate themselves on how to respond in the event of an encounter File image of a bobcat. Photo by AP/File A Calgary woman was injured after an encounter with a bobcat in the southeast community of Parkland on Sunday, police say. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Officers responded to a report of a woman being attacked by a bobcat at around 4:40 p.m. Sunday, CPS said in an email. Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers were also notified. The woman was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, police said. In a statement, Fish and Wildlife said the woman had been walking her dog off-leash when she spotted a bobcat kitten. As the woman attempted to leash her dog and leave the area, an altercation with an adult bobcat ensued, the wildlife authority said. The encounter resulted in 'superficial scratches' to the victim, according to Fish and Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife officers attended the area but were unable to locate the animal. The wildlife authority said locating and trapping a free-roaming wild cat with kittens and access to food can be 'extremely challenging,' but it continues to monitor the situation and remains ready to respond to any further reports. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The incident occurred roughly two kilometres from a similar encounter reported on June 23, the agency said. 'While officers are unable to confirm the same bobcat was involved in both incidents, the proximity suggests it is possible,' the statement said. Fish and Wildlife said bobcats rarely pose an imminent public safety risk, but residents are encouraged to educate themselves on how to respond in the event of an encounter. Bobcats are typically shy of humans and most active at sunrise and sunset hours, but in parts of southern Alberta, sightings are increasing. The wild cats are highly adaptable and can become more comfortable around people if living in or near urban areas. They are considered the smallest wild cats in Alberta, identified by their bobbed tails, black-tufted ears and dark markings. While attacks on humans are extremely rare, small pets may be at higher risk. It's recommended to keep cats indoors and supervise small dogs if bobcats are known to be nearby. More information on how to avoid conflict with bobcats is available at Incidents can be reported to Fish and Wildlife by calling 1-800-642-3800. Vancouver Canucks Opinion Vancouver Canucks News Celebrity
CTV News
01-07-2025
- CTV News
Another woman out walking her dog attacked by bobcat in Parkland
A Calgary woman was sent to hospital after being attacked by a bobcat on the morning of June 23 in Parkland. A second bobcat attack has occurred in the southeast Calgary community of Parkland. Fish and Wildlife said it's possible it was the same animal responsible for the first attack. This latest incident happened at roughly 4:40 p.m. on June 29. 'An individual reported that they were walking their dog off-leash when they first noticed a bobcat kitten,' Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. 'As they began to leash their pet and move out of the area, an altercation with an adult bobcat occurred, which resulted in some superficial scratches to the victim.' Fish and Wildlife noted the area where this occurred was not an off-leash area. The authority said it has been unable to find the bobcat and that it won't be easy to do so. 'Locating and trapping a free-roaming wild cat with kittens and access to an abundant food source can be extremely challenging,' the authority said. Fish and Wildlife said it will 'continue to monitor the situation in this area and remains ready to respond to any further incidents as they are reported.' Calgary police confirmed it also received word of the latest incident. Police said the woman's injuries 'were not life-threatening' and that 'she was treated at hospital.' This incident is similar to another that occurred in the neighbourhood of Parkland around 10 a.m. on June 23. On that day, a woman was attacked by a bobcat while she was walking her dog in front of her home. The woman was taken to hospital for minor cuts and scratches. Fish and Wildlife spent hours setting up traps but were unable to capture any bobcats—big or small. Area residents said the adult bobcat has been in the area for months and had a litter of four kittens living under a deck for the past five weeks. The two attacks occurred about two kilometres from each other. 'While officers are unable to confirm the same bobcat was involved in both incidents, the proximity suggests it is possible,' Fish and Wildlife said. With files by Jordan Kanygin
CTV News
23-06-2025
- CTV News
‘Very, very scary': Calgary woman attacked by bobcat in southeast
A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. It happened shortly after 10 a.m. in the community of Parkland. 'As soon as I opened the door, (the bobcat) ran toward the alley and it attacked the woman,' said neighbour Mike Melanson, who witnessed the incident after he first noticed the bobcat sitting on the grass in his front yard. 'She went down and she was screaming. I could hear her screaming. I saw the attack. 'It jumped right on her.' Calgary police and paramedics were called, and the woman was taken to hospital for minor cuts and scratches, EMS say. Fish and Wildlife officers spent hours in the area setting up cages and traps but left early in the afternoon without capturing the bobcats. Fish and Wildlife returned to Parkland Monday evening. Neighbours say the bobcat has been in the area for months and had a litter of four kittens living under a deck for the past five weeks. As of late Monday afternoon, the bobcat could still regularly be seen on the street, searching for food and going into different yards near where the attack occurred. A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. 'Very, very unusual. In my years in the city of Calgary, the only time we've had bobcats contact humans has been when they feel cornered or threatened,' said Acting Staff Sgt. Lorne Rinkel with Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services in Calgary. An investigation is still underway, and Rinkel said wildlife officers could still return to the area after speaking to more witnesses and the victim. 'When a human is contacted by wildlife, especially what we call dangerous wildlife, we have to balance out our course of action. So do we want to euthanize or live trap or just leave things as they are?' Rinkel said. 'So in this case, the mother's left the scene with one kitten, and there's still two under the deck. And I'm very confident that the mother will return shortly to pick up the remaining.' A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. A Calgary woman was sent to hospital Monday morning after a bobcat ran at her and attacked while she was walking her dog in front of her home in the southeast. Neighbours say they phoned the city's 311 service and were referred to Fish and Wildlife after raising concerns about the bobcat around pets and young children. 'We were told you have to cohabitate, unless the humans are involved, which happened today, I guess,' said Monty Hans, whose backyard deck the bobcats have been living under for months. 'The (mother bobcat) has been hunting by herself. And then the kittens stay under the deck and she comes back with something, drags it under the deck. We have made noise and kind of banged around and tried to get them to leave, but they're not going, and it just wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't afraid of us." But some of the people who live in the area are not satisfied with the response from wildlife officials, especially now that a human has been injured. Some neighbours bought horns and bells on Monday to try to deter the bobcats from coming back. 'But since we knew that it had a big litter, we are all taking precautions … putting extra lighting in the yard, cleaning up after our dogs right away, keeping them leashed, not letting pets by themselves in the backyard,' said Desiree Prosser, who lives across the alley from where the bobcats have been living. 'And it's tough. It's not easy because it's so unexpected and they're so unpredictable. 'It's very, very scary. Like, could it be me? I was going to walk my dog 15 minutes earlier, and I didn't, and that's when it all happened.'
Hamilton Spectator
18-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Recognizing the importance of Indigenous history on National Indigenous Peoples' Day
Although not a statutory holiday in Nunavut, as it is in Yukon or the NWT, National Indigenous Peoples' Day is recognized on June 21 each year - a day that deserves widespread recognition across Canada, says Pam Langan, the head librarian and business administrator at the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq Kitikmeot Heritage Society in Cambridge Bay. 'We should be celebrated,' Langan said. 'We were here first. We helped the white people get settled. We welcomed them onto the land. You know, we taught them our ways.' Langan said the history of what happened to the Inuit and native population should be taught. 'And put money towards helping the people from what people did,' she said of the residential school system. 'And teach the exact history. Down in Alberta for example, a young fellow, he got sick, so he was put in the hospital. His family went on the trapline and Fish and Wildlife tainted their food supply on the trapline and he lost his whole family. 'That information is in the University of Alberta in Calgary archives,' she said. 'That is the kind of history they should be teaching, so that the people understand what the Inuit and the natives, what happened to them and what happened to their lifestyle,' she said. Langan went on to say alcohol introduced by the Europeans to the Indigenous people became, and still is, a problem. 'The Europeans, they had alcohol in their system for many years, for thousands of years. So that enzyme has been in their system, in their body, whereas the Inuit and natives never had that enzyme to be able to fight that. So it's like a disease almost,' she said. 'So, if they want to celebrate, they need to, they need to give the history - of why we are like that and why we struggle.' Family history Langan recounted a story from her own family history pertaining to her grandparents. 'They were both in residential school. They (later) lived on the reserve when they came to take my mom and her siblings, but my grandfather met them at the door with a shotgun and said, 'You're not taking my kids.' 'And then he enfranchised, he sold his rights as a native in order for them to get an education off the reserve. 'So as soon as he enfranchised, he got kicked off the reserve because he was no longer a native,' Langan said. 'He had cattle on the reserve, but he had to go to the Indian agent to ask to kill one of his cattle in order to feed his family. Indian agents said no, so him and his cousin, they shot and killed a cow in the middle of the night so they wouldn't get caught. 'And if they had been caught, they would have been hung for his own cattle,' Langan said. 'So this is the kind of thing that should be taught.' 'The government did exactly what they wanted. They wanted the Inuit, they wanted the Indians, to be dependent on them,' she added. 'But that is the history that should be taught, not the war of 1812,' she said. Another part of history for the Inuit and Indigenous peoples was when many were taken off the land they knew and relocated close to the North Pole to establish sovereignty, she said. 'You take a group of people who were at one of their gatherings, and you just grab a whole pile of them and put them somewhere and expect them to survive? No. And then you kill all their dogs in the 60s because they can't go anywhere?' she said of the history of many Indigenous people. In terms of revitalizing and learning the Inuit languages, Langan said there are now several apps available online to help with pronunciation of various words and syllables, which is very helpful, and another way to recognize and honour the Indigenous population. 'The Heritage Center has been doing lots with the language,' she noted. Langan reiterated that it is important to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day in Nunavut and across Canada. 'I think the Indigenous People should be celebrated, you know, because of all the hardships they've gone through and still are here today.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
