Thank God no one was killed because this could've been absolutely horrific. I read other articles on this in addition to the one linked, and the teachers really are true heroes. The class (about fifteen 9-10 year olds and 3 teachers) was from a school in a somewhat remote community and had gone on a local hiking trail for a short field trip. They were stopped for lunch when the grizzly came out of the woods and attacked, unprovoked. One teacher hit it with two cans of bear spray and it was hardly phased, so another literally jumped on its back and started punching it on the face to keep its attention off the kids and let them escape. That gave the third teacher time to grab their crutches and also try to beat it back. Sounds like the teacher who is hospitalized bore the brunt of the attack. Seeing it reported elsewhere that one teacher had a bite wound, another has a fractured skull, and the other was badly injured. RCMP and other local authorities are hunting down the bear and calling the attack unprecedented because the group was so large.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/canada/grizzly-attacks-schoolchildren-teachers-walking-trail-canada-injuring-rcna245106

Quote:

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Teachers who were well prepared and well equipped may have ended a grizzly bear attack on their group of Canadian schoolchildren in British Columbia this week before it became deadly, authorities said.

Two people were critically injured, two were seriously injured, and seven others were treated at the scene Thursday afternoon in the small community of Bella Coola, BC Emergency Health Services said in a statement.

On Saturday, the BC Conservation Officer Service said the search for the bear expanded to include two additional grizzlies witnesses said were nearby during the incident.

At a news conference Friday, Tamara Davidson, minister of environment and parks in the Canadian province, said that three children and one adult were seriously injured and remained hospitalized. Their relatives did not want to release the patients' latest conditions, she said.

"I want to recognize the teachers who took great risk to protect their students," Davidson said. "Their actions deserve our greatest respect and gratitude. They were well prepared, and they are the true heroes."

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That's pretty impressive bravery. I'm kind of surprised there are active grizzlies up there but maybe the real cold hasn't hit yet.

I got to spend six consecutive Julys and Septembers hosting and guiding trips for Trout and Salmon about 20 miles up the valley from where that attack happened.

Bella Coola is at sea level on a salt water inlet and it stays surprisingly warm for that latitude and seldom gets below freezing. This week temps are around high of 46 and low of 40. Lots of rain and fog. Both the Black and Grizzly bears in that area usually just hibernate 2-3 months and may wake up and move around during warmer periods.

There are lots of Grizzlies. We fished the confluence of the Bella Coola and Atnarko Rivers for Salmon and it was rare to not see at least one Grizzly and a couple of Black Bears anytime you looked up and down the rivers. Standard procedure was two guides working with clients, one guide on the bank with his back to the water watching for bears. Got to experience being bluff charged by a young male Grizzly on September 10, 2001.

Some badass teachers there. I bet that bear spray helped even though it seemed like it didn't faze the bear.

Those who can't do, teach run into harm's way and jump on a charging grizzly

Thank God for those teachers!

If I'm those parents, I make sure that teacher never has to work another day in their life.

Wow!!

ABATTBQ11 said:

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Those who can't do, teach run into harm's way and jump on a charging grizzly

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This may be what's wrong with teaching profession these days. Nobody runs in and jumps on a Grizzly's back. Nobody