August 12, 2008
SHE WAS ATTACKED WHILE GARDENING – reminder: bears can be bad
Katy Yin is expected to spend another two weeks in hospital
recovering from being attacked by a bear in Coquitlam, B.C., last week.
(CBC)
From CBC.ca:- The Coquitlam woman who was attacked by a black bear last
week says she wouldn’t be alive if a quick-thinking neighbour hadn’t
rammed the bear with his truck.
Speaking from her bed at Royal Columbian hospital in New Westminster on
Tuesday, Katy Yin told CBC News the risky move gave other neighbours
enough time to drag her to safety.
Yin said the incident began when she was peacefully gardening in the
front yard of her Westwood Plateau home last Wednesday morning.
Then suddenly she was looking straight up into the face of an aggressive black bear.
She tried to turn and grab some rocks from her garden to throw at it,
but by the time she turned back, the bear was on top of her.
She knew, once the attack began, her only chance was to fight back or die, Yin said.
“He’s going to eat me. He’s not going to go away. It doesn’t matter. So
I used all of my energy to yell and if I can do something, I have to
help myself. I’m not ready to die. I’ve got to fight,” she said.
Yin suffered several severe injuries in the attack, including multiple
fractures, deep bruises and countless cuts on her legs, arms and torso.
One massive wound on the back of her head required 20 staples to close.
A week after the attack, her body remains covered in scars and surgical
dressing, and her left arm still requires more surgery where the bear
ripped it right down to the bone.
She is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another two weeks.
The bear was later shot by police. Officers said it was likely hunting
Yin as food, but the results of a necropsy planned by wildlife
authorities to try to determine why the attack happened have not been
released.
Posted by Loreth @ 7:54 pm | THE WRITING LIFE
spyscribbler Says:
I swear, that totally freaks me out. I think I’d be scared to go outside! Scared to go running! How do you know a bear isn’t going to attack you?
Toni Anderson Says:
Ugh. Terrible. And so many in such a short space of time in that area. I wonder why? I hope they bring out a bear alarm soon. And cougar. Linked to GPS and email and satellite. Am I too optimistic?