Runar Marktin lives in Älvsbyn and has a cabin in Kåbdalis. Over the weekend, he encountered bears during a bike ride.
Runar Marktin, who lives in Älvsbyn and has a holiday cabin in Kåbdalis, was out cycling along a gravel road when he spotted the bears.
– After about a kilometre I saw the bears running on the right-hand side, about 50–60 metres from the road. I cycled a bit further to where a path leads to a shelter, and that’s where they crossed the road at full speed, says Marktin.
He called local resident Bo Franklin, who arrived and managed to capture the bear family on film.
The mother bear was curious about the two men and stood on her hind legs to observe them from a relatively close distance.
– The bear walked towards us on her hind legs, but we weren’t of much interest, so she continued into the forest, says Runar Marktin.
As they stood waiting, hoping to catch another glimpse of the bears, a panicked moose suddenly appeared on the road. It disappeared into the forest, and a short while later the mother bear came running.
– After a while, the cubs showed up looking for their mother. They weren’t in a rush – they came up onto the road calmly, he says.
Whether the bear caught up with the moose is unclear.
– The moose had a bit of a head start and might be able to keep going, but it can’t afford to stop, says Marktin.
According to him, bears are common in the area.
– Kåbdalis is snow and bear country. A couple of years ago we had a bear just a few hundred metres from the cabin. It had been digging up a wasps’ nest, says Runar Marktin.
He’s an experienced outdoorsman and is grateful for the encounter.
– Absolutely incredible. I’ve glimpsed a bear at dusk on the road between Kåbdalis and Älvsbyn, but now I’ve seen one in action, says Runar Marktin.