Hikers, mountain bikers asked to avoid Mount Seymour after bear chases cyclists
A black bear that followed 3 mountain bikers down a trail a week ago needs space, says mountain bike group
The North Shore Mountain Bike Association is advising riders and hikers to stay away from the western flank of Mount Seymour after a black bear chased three cyclists down a trail a week ago.
"We'd like to give this bear a little space," said NSMBA president Cooper Quinn. "There's plenty of other trails on the Shore to ride or dog walk or take a hike on."
On Sept. 27, Brad Martyn captured helmet-cam video of the bear as it followed him and two friends down the black diamond TNT trail on Seymour.
After an anxious descent, the men eventually stopped and chased the bear away by yelling and throwing rocks.
Quinn says the mountain bikers in the video shouldn't have tried to outrun the bear.
"Instead of hopping on your bike and potentially triggering some kind of prey drive ... in a situation like that, number one is just make sure the bear knows you're human," said Quinn. "Talk to it and group together and slowly get out of the situation by backing away."
Others cyclists and hikers in the area have also spotted the bear. Quinn believes in the case of the mountain bikers, the animal was just defending its territory.
"What we've seen is this bear appears to just be rather annoyed that humans are in the woods," he said. "I don't think that bear was displaying any predatory or super aggressive behaviour. It could have caught them if it wanted to."
The North Shore Black Bear Society is reminding people that this is the time of year when bears are most active, foraging for food up to 20 hours a day to gain weight for winter hibernation.
Trail updates are being posted on Trailforks.com and Quinn advised people check the North Shore Mountain Bike Association website and North Shore Black Bear Society website for the latest.