A couple and their dog were mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping in a remote part of Banff National Park, Canada.
The ‘inseparable’ long-term partners were able to send out a GPS alert to Parks Canada at around 8pm on Friday indicating that they had been attacked.
A team specializing in wildlife attacks was immediately sent out but poor weather forced them to abandon taking a helicopter and travel by ground instead.
The Parks Canada crew arrived at 1am the next day to find the couple dead along with their dog.
The grizzly bear was still in the area exhibiting ‘aggressive behavior’ and the animal was euthanized ‘for public safety’.
A family member of the couple told CBC: ‘They were long-term partners who loved the outdoors and were inseparable. They lived for being in the backcountry and were two of the most cautious people I know. They knew bear protocol and followed it to a tee.’
Parks Canada said on Saturday night it had received an alert on Friday at around 8pm from a GPS device indicating a bear attack in Banff National Park (Stock image)
A married couple was mauled in the Red Deer River Valley west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch
The response team arrived on-site at 1am and discovered the bodies in a rural part of the park
While in the area, the team came across a grizzly bear behaving aggressively, leading Parks Canada staff to euthanize the animal on-site in order to ensure public safety
The park imposes seasonal trail restrictions that require people to travel in larger groups as a safety precaution
The couple was found in the Red Deer River Valley west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, an area owned by Parks Canada that is used to raise horses for mounted park rangers.
Sundre Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived at 5am and the victims were transported to Sundre, in central Alberta.
A family member of one of the deceased told CBC that the family received a notification via an inReach satellite communicator at 5pm on Friday that the couple had camped for the night.
‘They checked in every night,’ the family member said. ‘This means they were not travelling after dark and they were not setting up camp when the attack happened.’
A statement from Banff National Park said: ‘This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims.’
The national park, which attracts more than four million tourists every year, is home to both grizzly and black bears.
Kim Titchener, a friend of the family, described the couple as ‘great humans’ and ‘great adventurers’ while speaking to CTV News.
She said they spent a lot of time in the wilderness and had a lot of expertise, ‘so it’s of course a big shock to the family.’
Tichtner is the founder of Bear Safety & More Inc. and RecSafe with Wildlife, a free resource that provides education on ways to safely coexist with animals like bears.
She has worked on wildlife conflict reduction programs for nearly two decades and provides training on bear safety and bear assessments.
Tichtner said there are about 60 grizzly bears in Banff National Park and while encounters are increasing as more people head outdoors, fatal attacks are extremely rare.
‘It’s really just the reason why we’re seeing more attacks, which is more people heading outdoors and unfortunately not being educated on this,’ she said, adding that only 14 per cent of grizzly bear attacks worldwide lead to fatalities.
Kim Titchener, a friend of the family who works in wildlife conflict resolution, says fatal attacks are exceedingly rare
She described the slain couple as ‘great humans’ and ‘great adventurers’
Banff National Park attracts more than four million tourists every year and is home to both grizzly and black bears
The last fatal attack in the park occurred in 1973, when a biologist was killed by a bear that he thought was sedated
Bear sightings increase during autumn as they become more active searching for food ahead of hibernating in the cold winter months.
‘Often when people have encounters with grizzlies, usually the grizzly goes one direction and the people go in the other,’ Titchener said.
Titchener added that while she is as yet unaware of the details of the incident, most bear attacks tend to be caused by surprise run-ins.
‘They could have surprised a bear at close range and had an encounter that led to a defensive attack,’ she said.
This occurs when a bear sees people as a threat to itself, its food source or its cubs.
She added: ‘It’s extremely rare to see predatory attacks by grizzly bears, but not unheard of.’
Banff National Park imposes seasonal trail restrictions in certain areas, requiring people to travel in groups of four or more as a safety precaution.
Noncompliant visitors may be charged under the Canadian National Parks Act and fined thousands of dollars.
However, fatal grizzly attacks in the park are uncommon, with the last occurring in 1973.
Wilf Etherington, a biologist with the Canadian National Service, was aiding the relocation of a bear that was thought to be sedated.
The animal charged the 51-year-old shortly after being released from a trap.
One bear nicknamed ‘The Boss,’ formally known as Bear 122, frequents the town of Banff.
The animal weighs upwards of 650 pounds and is a legendary figure in the area, having eaten a black bear and even survived being hit by a train.
Grizzlies are considered at risk in Alberta due to human intrusion into their habitat.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
247
