A Creston Valley man has bruises and stitch marks to prove how lucky he was last month. The unidentified male was attacked by a female grizzly bear on a Kootenay River dike on the Creston flats on May 21.

"He lives nearby and rides his bike on the dikes early in the morning," Creston conservation officer Arnold Deboon said on Friday. "He heard a rush of noise coming from behind and looked back to see a grizzly charging at him."

The man was knocked from his bike as the bear bit his behind. It appears that the man landed on his back, with the bike between him and the animal, which stood with a paw on his chest. The bear soon turned and moved away, Deboon said. Two cubs then came out onto the dike path and joined their mother as they left the area.

Deboon and fellow conservation officer James Barber interviewed the victim in the hospital, then explored the area in which the attack took place. They concluded the bear and cubs were moving through the area on their way to feed for the day.

"It was a natural defensive act by the grizzly sow," Deboon said. "She was apparently surprised by the bike, which was quiet."

Deboon and Barber posted danger signs in the area.

"Grizzly bear sightings aren't unusual in the spring on the flats," he said. "People don't know how often they are probably quite close to bears when they are in the outdoors."

Anyone going out into bear territory should be prepared, he said. Making noise is important and he recommends carrying bear spray.

"It is effective," he said.

While the attack victim could easily have been killed or more badly injured, Deboon said the man did not want the bear blamed for the attack.

"He fully understood what had happened, that he surprised them," he said. "He didn't want us to destroy the bears."

Deboon explained that if the bears were found to be making their home in the immediate area, he would have considered trapping and moving them. The sow would have had a radio collar attached if she had been trapped, as all females are tracked when possible.

Bear populations in the area are believed to be thriving, he said. There has been no grizzly bear hunting allowed for years and a huge berry crop last year means that most sows had two or three cubs as a result, he added.

"We'd like to encourage people to be aware that we share this valley with bears and other predators, and taking sensible precautions is important," he said.