A woman\u2019s morning walk with her dog in the scenic Canadian Rockies this week took an unexpected turn after a grizzly bear galloped toward her, stood on its hind legs and continued to move within several feet as the woman shouted, grunted and slowly retreated.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, she captured the entire encounter on video<\/a>.<\/p>\n The unidentified woman, who could not be reached for comment, left her lodge to walk her dog, in Kananaskis, a community more than three hours south of Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n On a gravel driveway about 300 feet from camp, she picked up her dog\u2019s leash, coffee mug in the other hand, to turn back when she spotted a grizzly and pressed record on her phone.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was probably a younger grizzly bear that was very curious about the dog,\u201d said Jelmer de Blois, a hiking guide who operates Wilderness Escape Adventures in the area.<\/p>\n The woman shouted or made noises at least 40 times to keep the bear at bay, and the grizzly started toward her almost as many times.<\/p>\n When the woman escaped, she ran to a tent where previous clients of Mr. de Blois\u2019s were staying. She remained there for 15 minutes until the bear began to chase a moose, Mr. de Blois said.<\/p>\n He eventually connected with the woman and posted her video online. By Saturday afternoon, the post on the Wilderness Escape TikTok account had nearly 30 million views.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty common that somebody sees a bear and it\u2019s just a little further away \u2014 I\u2019ll take a picture or a video,\u201d Mr. de Blois said. \u201cShe just kept it running.\u201d<\/p>\n What followed was a terrifying \u2014 although rare \u2014 occurrence.<\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d the woman shouts, her voice pitched low. \u201cEnough!\u201d<\/p>\n The bear pauses at times but then continues to draw nearer. It appears to focus on getting closer to the dog, dashing toward the animal as the owner slowly walks away.<\/p>\n The encounter lasts about one minute before the bear ducks behind a gate and the woman reaches parked cars and runs away. The grizzly appears to give chase as the video cuts off.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in bear country, and I always warn my clients that there are a lot of bears in the area,\u201d Mr. de Blois said. \u201cYou have to know what you\u2019re doing, and you always have to carry bear spray.\u201d<\/p>\n The day of the encounter, Alberta Forestry and Parks, which oversees the area, issued a warning describing the encounter, and on Thursday said that the nearby Tryst Lake parking area was closed until further notice because of bear activity.<\/p>\n \u201cA Grizzly bear exhibited persistent, dog-focused behavior during an encounter with a hiker and their leashed dog,\u201d the advisory said<\/a>. \u201cThe bear made repeated approaches, closing to within approximately one meter.\u201d<\/p>\n The advisory offered advice for how to avoid surprise run-ins with bears, including traveling in groups while making noise, keeping pets leashed and carrying bear spray.<\/p>\n