A grizzly bear attacked and killed two people in Banff National Park west of Sundre, Alta., on Friday night, Parks Canada says.
The people who died were husband and wife, according to Kim Titchener, the founder of Bear Safety and More, who is a friend of the family. The couple’s dog, who was with them at the time, was also killed.
“They were outdoors people who were very used to going out into the backcountry,” said Titchener, who heard the news of the incident on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m sure [it’s] an incredible shock for their family and I just really feel for them. It’s a horrible situation.”
Parks Canada received an alert from a GPS device in the Red Deer River Valley west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch at about 8 p.m. on Friday indicating a bear attack, said Natalie Fay, external relations manager for the Banff field unit.
In a statement, Fay said a team specially trained in wildlife attacks was immediately mobilized, but weather hindered their response time.
“Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground,” she said.
“The response team arrived on-site at 1 a.m. and discovered two deceased individuals.”
While in the area, the response team encountered a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behaviour, Fay said, leading Parks Canada staff to destroy the animal on-site for public safety.
RCMP arrived at 5 a.m. to transport the victims to Sundre, Alta., she said.
“This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” the statement read.
Fatal bear attacks rare
Only 14% of grizzly bear attacks worldwide lead to fatalities, said Titchener, making this incident a rare occurrence.
“Often when people have encounters with grizzlies, usually the grizzly goes one direction and the people go in the other,” said Titchener.
“So we rarely do see cases where we actually have everyone involved killed.”
Titchener said that while she doesn’t yet know the details of what happened, the majority of bear attacks tend to be caused by surprise run-ins. She added that the couple could have still been hiking or setting up their camp when they came in contact with the bear, and that carnivores do tend to be more active at dusk.
“They could have surprised a bear at close range and had an encounter that led to a defensive attack. It’s extremely rare to see predatory attacks by grizzly bears, but not unheard of.”
At this time of year, bears are in hyperphagia, said Titchener, a period of increased appetite as bears prepare to hibernate for the winter. While Titchener said there is no relationship between this time frame and increased bear attacks on humans, bears are indeed hungry.
“They’re still trying to dig up root systems and just trying to eat what grasses are left and what berries are still around to get on those last few pounds so that they can start heading to their dens,” said Titchener.
While some bears begin to den in mid-October, larger bears can stay active until December, a reminder that it is still actively bear season across the province, said Titchener.
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