A Coquitlam man relaxing in a hot tub in Whistler over the weekend got a surprise visit - from a bear.
The 55-year-old was in the back yard of a home on Casabella Crescent on Sunday afternoon when he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. The blow was strong enough to pitch him forward in the hot tub and, when he turned around, he was face to face with a large male black bear.
He yelled at the bruin and managed to get inside the house.
When Whistler Pemberton RCMP arrived they found the bear about 100 metres away as it was walking into a wooded area; the area was contained and the bear was destroyed.
The bear was found to be a healthy, mature male and the reason for the attack is unknown, police reported. Conservation officers are investigating the incident and a necropsy will be done to find a motive for the attack.
"We don't really know for sure what the intentions of the bear were," said Insp. Chris Doyle of the BC Conservation Service. Investigators ruled out any nearby attractants like food or garbage.
Doyle said the bear had to be destroyed because a person was attacked on a residential property, and there was no information leading officers to believe it was a surprise encounter.
The Coquitlam man suffered cuts to the back of his head that required several stitches; he was released from hospital later that day.
