• [Irish Mirror Icon]
• News
• World News
• Bears

'I was attacked by a grizzly bear and had 60 holes torn into my body on bike ride'

A man was cycling through the woods when he crossed paths with an aggressive grizzly bear - and managed to escape with 60 injuries and an exposed kidney

[Colin said he "froze" when he saw the bear ]

View 3 Images

Colin said he "froze" when he saw the bear (Image: NC )

When 47-year-old Colin Dowler went cycling to look for hiking routes on an unassuming summer day in 2019, he never expected to have one of the most dangerous experiences of his life.

The man was cycling down a narrow logging path near Mount Doogie Dowler, in British Columbia, Canada, when he came face to face with a grizzly bear - he told the Guardian.

Colin got off his bike, hoping not to scare the animal, and that it would move on past him - having encountered black bears before, he expected both animals to act the same, saying, "this was the first time I had seen a grizzly, and it was staring at me."

Instead, the bear began moving towards him until they were just a couple of feet apart. Seconds later, it closed the distance further, prompting Colin to position the bike between them, holding out his hiking pole towards the animal.

The bear then bit down on the pole and tossed it aside. Growing nervous, Colin threw his bag to the side in hopes the animal would be attracted to the food he had packed, unsuccessfully.

[grizzly bear]

View 3 Images

Colin Dowler had encountered black bears in the past, but never a grizzly bear(Image: Getty Images)

The bear grew aggressive and began to prod Colin with its paw, prompting the man to throw his bike at it, to no avail.

With increasing violence, the bear lunged forward and sank its teeth into Colin's side, then lifted him into its mouth and carried the man 30 to 40 feet towards a bush.

I was in crushing pain, he said, when the bear began tearing into his thigh with enough force for Colin to hear teeth grinding against his own femur.

Fearing for his life, Colin described his memories of silently saying goodbye to his wife and children.

Until he remembered he had packed a pocket knife to take on the ride. Using both hands while still pinned beneath the animal, the man was able to reach the blade and drive it into the bear's neck.

Blood started spilling from the animal as it finally retreated from where it was attacking Colin.

[Penknife]

View 3 Images

He had packed a knife that ended up saving his life(Image: Getty)

With the little energy he had left, Colin managed to cut the sleeve from his shirt to create a makeshift tourniquet for his leg, fearing he would bleed to death otherwise.

Pedalling with only one leg for around 45 minutes, he finally reached a logger's cabin, where he asked for help. Five workers rushed to help and used first aid kits to patch up Colin's 60 puncture wounds before the air ambulance they had called for arrived, around an hour later.

At the time, one of the injuries was so serious that Colin's kidney was showing through the wound. He then went through around six and a half hours of surgery and spent 40 days in hospital recovering from the incident.

Since then, Colin has reportedly been back in the woods and hasn't abandoned his passion, relying on techniques to fight away the trauma.

"I have since bumped into a few black bears on the trails, too, but I yell, and they get out of the way," he said.

[Irish Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Irish Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.