A 47-year-old cyclist survived a grizzly bear attack in British Columbia, Canada, that left him with 60 puncture wounds and an exposed kidney. Colin Dowler was riding on a logging path near Mount Doogie Dowler in 2019 when he encountered the bear.
Attack and Escape
Dowler got off his bike, hoping the bear would move on, but it approached until it was close enough to bite his hiking pole and toss it aside. After throwing his bag and bike, the bear lunged and carried him 30 to 40 feet toward a bush, where it began tearing into his thigh.
While pinned, Dowler reached a pocket knife he had packed and drove it into the bear's neck, causing it to retreat. He then used a shirt sleeve as a tourniquet and pedaled with one leg for about 45 minutes to reach a logger's cabin.
Rescue and Recovery
Five workers at the cabin provided first aid for his wounds before an air ambulance arrived about an hour later. Dowler underwent around six and a half hours of surgery and spent 40 days in the hospital.
Since the incident, Dowler has returned to the woods and continues his passion, using yelling to scare off black bears he encounters. He said, "I have since bumped into a few black bears on the trails, too, but I yell, and they get out of the way."
