A man was rescued after fleeing a black bear and falling into Hayward Lake in Mission last week.
Mission RCMP said in a news release that the man was walking on a trail on Feb. 20 when he encountered a black bear.
“He was not injured by the bear, but in order to put some distance between himself and the animal, the man left the trail and moved down toward the lake, where he subsequently fell in,” police said.
The man pulled himself onto a stump in the cold water but rainy, dark conditions kept him from returning to shore.
Mission Search and Rescue (MSAR) assisted Mission RCMP and rescued the man with its watercraft. He was taken to hospital as a precaution, police say.
