‘Not letting him murder my dog’: Woman describes harrowing Kananaskis bear encounter

A woman recalls getting approached by a grizzly bear in Kananaskis Country. The bear approached her and her dog on an early morning walk on Wednesday.

A hiker captured harrowing video of a young grizzly bear following her and lunging at her leashed dog for more than a minute this week in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country.

Nobody was injured during the unnerving encounter, but one bear safety expert called it an “extremely dangerous situation” that nearly resulted in the dog becoming lunch.

“I was honestly pretty calm, since I had seen bear around so often,” Jessie Oakes told CTV News of the encounter.

But the incident quickly intensified when the bear started approaching her Dutch shepherd, Skoki, who was on a leash. She described the encounter as intense.

“I am not losing my dog today, I am not letting him murder my dog,” she said.

The encounter took place along 1 Mount Shark Road and Highway 742, near Rummel Lake Trail, just before 6 a.m. on Wednesday. The video shows the bear continuing to follow her and Skoki, capturing her yelling “go away,” “no,” “enough,” “stop” and “hey” at the bear.

The minute and 22-second video ends with the bear running away off the road and into the forest area.

Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety & More, says Oakes “did the best that she could in that situation.”

“This bear was clearly intent and interested in the dog,” Titchener said.

“From what I can tell, the bear was perceiving that dog as a food source.”

Bear warning issued

Alberta Parks put out a bear warning on Wednesday for Mount Shark Road, Mount Engadine Lodge and Rummel Lake Trail after the encounter.

“A bear warning has been put in place in the area around Mount Engadine Lodge, Mount Shark Road and Rummel Lake Trail due to a grizzly bear approaching a hiker with a dog,” the provincial agency wrote.

In a statement to CTV News, Alberta Parks said it was “aware of a video of a grizzly bear approaching a hiker with a dog near Mt. Engadine Lodge.” It said staff are monitoring the situation closely.

“Kananaskis Country is bear country. It is essential to always carry bear spray, have it accessible and know how and when to use it, even in areas that are popular or well-frequented,” the agency said.

Alberta Parks recommends people make plenty of noise and travel in groups while being aware of surroundings and keep pets on a leash. They also recommend carrying bear spray, which Titchener echoes.

“I would have preferred if she had stood her ground and tried to get the bear to leave instead and not had her cell phone out trying to video at the same time as trying to deal with the extremely dangerous situation,” Titchener said.

Oakes said she tried to return to her place of residence, but took shelter in a nearby glamping tent because the bear was too close to her home.

She also admits she didn’t have bear spray.

“There is no excuse for that, even if I was within a minute walk,” Oakes said.

Anyone who encounters a bear in Kananaskis is asked to report to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403-591-7755.