Quadra Island man makes international headlines after encounter with grizzly bear
The owner of a Quadra Island vineyard now knows what it’s like to have “15 minutes of fame” after getting international media attention for his recent encounter with a grizzly bear, during which he was wearing next to nothing.
“I’m billed as, ‘Man in underwear throws rock at grizzly,’” Ben McGuffie says with a chuckle.
The notoriety comes after McGuffie was awakened by some noise on his property on the Island’s southern end around 10 p.m. Monday evening.
“Got out of bed to see what was up,” he says. “When I looked over here I could see one of the goats dashing through that pen and something large and brown chasing after it and I thought, ‘Oh no, it is a bear.’”
The grizzly was chasing McGuffie’s Nigerian Dwarf goats and is believed to have taken one away earlier in the day as well.
McGuffie and his wife Jill both grabbed whatever they could when they first went to fight off the bear. Ben had a deck brush and his wife had some plywood. He says the bear was unfazed when he threw the brush, but then left when Ben hit it with a rock.
“I think I got it,” he says. “I don’t imagine missing it would have made it take off. It took off into the hill in the back.”
The couple then cleared away some space inside their home so that the goats – named “Atlantic Ocean” and “Diamond Tierra” – would be safe.
He contacted conservation officers Tuesday morning and says they were at his property shortly after.
“We were aware of the grizzly bear on the northern end of Quadra Island three to four weeks ago,” says conservation officer Gord Gudbranson.
He says the bear then began heading towards the southern part of the island, which is more populated.
Gudbranson says grizzlies have been moving west to other islands north of Quadra as well as Vancouver Island. Most of the calls have been simple sightings.
Officers have set a trap for the grizzly and are also advising islanders to be on the lookout for the bear.
“We are just letting people know that if they are out and about and they do see a grizzly bear, to make sure they do report it to the RAPP number as soon as possible” he says.
Islanders are also urged to do what they can to keep the bear from coming around.
“Property owners are to do their part and secure their attractants at all times, specifically for livestock and people – if people are out and about with their pets – we recommend that they don’t go into the forests, keep their pets on a leash and make lots of noise, more than usual,” Gudbranson says.
Joanna Annett recorded a grizzly on her cell phone on Sunday at the northern end of the island after the bear walked through her yard.
“I was absolutely in awe,” she says. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful animal and got my adrenaline going. I was pumped.”
But, as a nurse, she says she has also seen what can sometimes happen when humans and grizzlies come into contact with each other.
“We were all totally shocked because it’s not good to see grizzly bears here,” she says. “I’ve seen the aftermath of bear attacks first-hand as a nurse working on the coast.”
Her husband Rory was celebrating his 60th birthday when the bear appeared. He says he and a few guests who were visiting also knew right away what was in the yard.
“For all of us, it wasn’t a question of, ‘Oh, there’s a bear,’ it was, ‘Oh, there’s a grizzly,’ and we went so far as to know it was a male and it was two years old, roughly.”
Rory says the bear was simply doing what two-year-old bears do.
“They look for a new home,” he says. “They have to because if they encounter their old man, they’re probably not going to make it.”
The retired forester believes that the grizzlies who are expanding their range will come into increasing levels of conflict with humans.
“Human populations are going up and their populations are expanding; that causes challenges,” he says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.