A Saskatchewan woman got a scare on one of her routine walks with her two dogs last week.
According to CBC, on April 21st, towards the end of her hike, 40-year-old, Raschel Zeschuk, looked back to see that her dog was following, and saw that she was not only being followed by her dog, but by a black bear in hot pursuit.
Zeschuk reportedly screamed in an effort to scare off the animal, and when it didn’t work, immediately sought high ground, but as she ran, the bear quickly caught up to her, scratching one side of her leg and biting another.
She scrambled up a nearby tree to get away, and the bear began trying to climb up after her, so she kicked it in the nose as hard as she could and managed to scare it away.
Officials say that though black bear encounters are rare, if it happens, the best practice is to back away slowly, speaking in a low tone of voice and not to look directly at the animal.