Two Fernie men performed first aid on each other after encounter with grizzly bear. Both men narrowly escaped the attack of a mother grizzly bear and thankful that they are alive.
Grizzly bear encounter
Brian Braconnier and Keith Farkas of Fernie were hiking Mount Proctor and scouting the area for the upcoming elk and deer hunt when they came face-to-face with an angry grizzly bear protecting her cub.
The two had hiked the area several times and were prepared for an emergency, but they were not expecting one. Farkas stated that they had bear spray, a first aid kit, proper hiking boots and gear as well as a defender shotgun. They heard two growls and before they had time to react, the bear pounced on Braconnier and pushed him down a hill.
Farkas could not see what was going on. He just heard him screaming and the bear growling. It was then that he reached for the shotgun. After the bear swiped Braconnier four times and flung him through the air by his arm, he was able to use the bear spray. According to Braconnier, the bear was at arms distance and hit by the bear spray which deterred her yet she still bowled over and ran over.
The bear turned its signs to Farkas who had been fumbling to load the shotgun. He managed to shoot her but she clawed at him and pushed him 10 feet down a hill, attacking his arm and shoulder areas. Finally, the angry mother bear retreated into the forest with her cub.
The two men gave each other first aid and were treated for puncture wounds and claw marks later in a healthcare facility but suffered no serious injuries.
Learn the necessary first aid skills
You should enroll in a first aid course today. You will learn the necessary life-saving skills that will surely come in handy during emergencies.
For more information about this story, click here to learn.
LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid training course and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Basic-First-Aid
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/bleeding-cuts-wounds
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-wounds/basics/art-20056665