Canadian officials were forced to euthanize a grizzly bear showing aggressive behavior after it was suspected of killing a couple in the country's Banff National Park on Friday.
The external relations manager for Park Canada's Banff field unit, Natalie Fay, said that the agency received an alert from a GPS device originating from the Red Deer River Valley at roughly 8:00 p.m. on Friday, indicating a bear attack.
Canadian Bear Attack
Fay said in a statement that a team specially trained in wildlife attacks was mobilized immediately but was hindered in responding because of the weather. She noted that the conditions at the time did not allow for the use of a helicopter and added that the response team had to travel through the night to the location on the ground.
The official said that the response team arrived on-site at 1:00 a.m. only to discover the bodies of two deceased individuals. While in the area, the team encountered a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behavior, leading to Parks Canada staff choosing to euthanize the animal on-site for public safety, as per Yahoo News.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrived at the area at around 5:00 a.m. to transport the victims' bodies to Sundre, Alberta. A statement noted that the incident was tragic and that Parks Canada was expressing its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased individuals.
Officials implemented a closure around the attack area, which includes the Red Deer and Panther valleys, from Creek Summit east to the National Park boundary and north to Shale Pass. The order would remain in effect until further notice as a safety precaution for anyone considering going to the areas.
Kim Titchener is the founder of Bear Safety and More and also a friend of the family of the deceased couple. She provides training on bear safety and assessments and said that such encounters are now on the rise as more people head outdoors but argued that fatal attacks are still extremely rare.
Unfortunate Incident
Titchener noted that the main reason that more beat attacks are being reported is that more people are going outdoors and, unfortunately, not being educated regarding the possible scenarios. According to Reuters, she added that only 14% of grizzly bear attacks worldwide lead to fatalities.
Additionally, bear sightings typically increase during autumn as the animals become more active in search for food ahead of hibernating in the cold winter months. Banff National Park attracts more than four million tourists annually and is home to grizzly and black bears.
Titchener said that there are roughly 60 grizzly bears in Banff National Park and added that they are considered a threatened population in the Alberta region. Parks Canada did not immediately respond to queries that asked to identify the victims of the grizzly attack.
She added that more often than not, when people encounter grizzly bears, the large animals typically go in one direction and humans go in the other way. She noted that this means there are rare cases where everyone involved is killed, said CBC.
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