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Manitoulin senior fends off bear attack
Author: Margo Little
Source: The Sudbury Star

A marauding black bear met its match Wednesday night during an encounter with a Manitoulin grandmother who was ready for a fight. The animal was driven off an Ice Lake farm by the protective pet owner wielding a garden hoe.

The incident happened just after 10 p.m., said Const. Al Boyd, Little Current OPP community services officer.

Margaret Montgomery, 81, the owner of a farm on Highway 540 near Gore Bay, had released her dog for a run just before bedtime.

The dog surprised a bear eating apples from a nearby tree. The bear chased the dog back into the garage, where Montgomery was waiting.

She attempted to protect her pet by holding on to the bear and punching it.

Eventually, the animal was scared off, but the woman suffered injuries in the struggle.

By the time Ministry of Natural Resources officers responded, the victim had been taken by ambulance to Mindemoya Hospital.

Montgomery is recovering from claw marks to the face and chest, as well as a puncture wound in her thigh.

MNR spokeswoman Carol Trepanier said Montgomery had the presence of mind to hit the bear with a garden hoe in the garage.

"She is a very resourceful woman," Trepanier said. "She displayed a lot of courage, given the situation."

Manitoulin Island conservation officers Dave Scarlett and John Diebolt, accompanied by a canine team, spent Thursday combing the area around the Ice Lake property. Michel Chaumont, MNR acting enforcement supervisor, and the acting district manager, Ernie Heerschap, were also on the scene.

Officers were going door-to-door to gather information on local bear activity from neighbours, said Trepanier.

"We want to see how the bear was behaving," she said. "The MNR needs to know if the bear was predatory or if it was just feeling trapped in a bad situation."

Conservation officers are also handing out literature on bear safety tips.

An inspection of the apple trees reveals "a fair bit of bear activity," Trepanier said. "The bears do quite a bit of damage to the trees. They like to show other bears that this food source is spoken for."

The only effective deterrent to keep bears away from orchards is electrical fencing, she said. Neighbouring Ice Lake resident Calvin Nelson said orchards are frequent targets.

"I had an apple tree torn up a week ago," he said. "The bark was torn off and the bear left fibres like frayed rope behind. It did quite a job on the tree. I expect it was just marking its territory."

A mother bear and cubs have been spotted in the bush area to the south of his residence on Highway 540, he said.

Two bear traps have been set up at the Montgomery property with a third trap expected to be added.

This article appeared in The Sudbury Star on September 26, 2003.