A man with cuts to his arms and face was transported from the community of Water Valley to the Foothills Medical Centre following a bear attack.
According to a Water Valley resident, an injured man entered the local hardware store looking for help at around 1:00 p.m. The man claimed he had been attacked by a bear.
"He had a laceration on his face and on his left arm," said Aprille Walker who works in the Water Valley general store. "He seemed to be responsive and he wasn't entirely unhappy."
EMS officials confirm a man in his 50s was transported by ambulance from Water Valley to the Foothills Medical Centre in stable, non-life threatening condition. The patient told the paramedic crew that he had encountered a grizzly bear in the backcountry, west of Water Valley, and there was a brief struggle with the animal.
RCMP members say the man was geo-caching in the Harold Creek area when he was charged by a grizzly bear. The man freed himself from the bear, made his way to his vehicle and drove to Water Valley.
The bear has not been located. Fish and Wildlife officials are leading the investigation.
Nicole Shepherd, who has been camping at Anderson Valley Ranch, was not surprised to hear of bear activity. "There's a lot of bears in this area," said Shepherd. "I think he was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
Water Valley is situated approximately 60 kilometres northwest of Calgary. The community is eight kilometres west of Highway 22.
