26 July 2023 , 13:32
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A vet escaped a close call with a vicious bear by blasting out a Scottish comedian's podcast while hiking through northern California.
Iain McAllister, 60, was hiking through the legendary Pacific Crest Trail - which spans 2650 miles of the Californian wilderness - when he was set on by a raging bear.
Startled but thinking quickly, the dad-of-two had a brainwave and blasted out a BBC Radio Scotland Breaking the News podcast by Glasgow comic Raymond Mearns on full volume.
Iain had been on the trail for around 10 hours and was listening to the Des Clarke-hosted show at the time when the creature appeared.
Iain, who wasn’t wearing headphones, said: “Raymond Mearns had just started on a hilarious story of things he had achieved at 20, when a bear jumped onto the trail about 50 yards in front of me.
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Iain survived the furry brush with death (Daily Record)“My heart jumped out of my chest. In general the way to keep a bear away is to make noise.
“I knew I had to make a loud noise, but before I had a chance the bear heard Raymond and ran in the opposite direction.
“I was listening at full volume, and it’s fortuitous that Raymond was talking at the time because I don’t know if Des Clarke’s accent would have scared a bear.”
Bears have been known to attack if humans surprise them – especially when they are rearing their young during the spring and summer months, reports the Daily Record.
Ayrshire-born Iain, who studied at Glasgow University, retired in 2018 and spends his time travelling. He suspects the beast was a California black bear, which can grow to nearly 7ft tall and weigh up to 35 stone.
It is 80 per cent vegetarian and more timid than the brown bear. “But it’s difficult to tell which ones are and which ones aren’t,” he added.
Raymond said: “When Iain got in touch to tell me what had happened, I told him I was happy to be of service.
“Bears are pretty scary but there’s not many things scarier than a genuine Scottish voice.
“Maybe the bear was a bit of a sh**ebag or the bear knew me from a past life.
“I’ve started doing walking tours in Edinburgh and will be doing them at the Fringe so I can now categorically state that you’re pretty much guaranteed protection from wild animal attacks on my tours.”
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