2 people killed by bear in Banff National Park were experienced in outdoors: family friend | 24CA News
An Alberta bear professional who’s a household pal of certainly one of two folks killed by a grizzly bear in Banff National Park says the couple was skilled within the outside and will have been within the mistaken place on the mistaken time.
Kim Titchener, who has an organization referred to as Bear Safety and More, mentioned each the couple and their canine died within the backcountry on the weekend.
“These were very experienced outdoors people. I don’t know if they had bear spray on them. I highly doubt they had food sources that were left out,” she mentioned in an interview.
“This might be a wrong place, wrong time situation.”
Parks Canada has not supplied these particulars, and mentioned it might not have an replace on the assault earlier than Tuesday.
“We are working to confirm further information,” spokeswoman Natalie Fay mentioned in an announcement Monday.
“This is a tragic situation and out of respect for the victims and their families, Parks Canada has a responsibility to ensure information is confirmed and accurate before releasing it publicly.”
The federal company mentioned in an announcement Saturday that its dispatchers acquired an alert at about 8 p.m. Friday from an inReach GPS machine a few bear assault west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, which is about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
It instantly despatched its Wildlife Human Attack Response Team to the realm by floor as a result of it couldn’t use a helicopter on account of climate circumstances within the mountains. The group arrived at about 1 a.m. Saturday and located the 2 folks lifeless, the assertion mentioned.
Parks Canada mentioned the group encountered a grizzly bear behaving aggressively and killed it to guard the general public.
Titchener mentioned she doesn’t know what occurred on this case, however famous that it’s already darkish at 8 p.m., so it’s believed the couple had already arrange camp.
Some of the probabilities, she mentioned, embody a bear that was shocked when it was defending a carcass or cubs, or that the grizzly reacted to the couple’s canine.
“Dogs are perceived by carnivores as a threat,” mentioned Titchener. “If (dogs) approach a bear that has cubs with it or it’s on a carcass, they perceive them as a threat to their food source or their young, they will chase a dog.
“If the dog runs back to the owners, then the people are perceived as a threat as well and the bear will attack the people.”
The Red Deer and Panther valleys from the Snow Creek summit east to the nationwide park boundary, and north to Shale Pass stay closed as a security precaution till additional discover.
Banff National Park, which is Canada’s first and busiest nationwide park, is house to grizzly and black bears.
Titchener mentioned deadly bear assaults are nonetheless fairly uncommon throughout North America.
“It’s very uncommon for a grizzly bear to kill a person,” she mentioned. “I know a lot of people go, ‘Oh my gosh, a grizzly attack’ but actual fatalities are quite low.
“We see a few maulings a year here and in the United States. On rare occasions, we’ll see a fatality. That, of course, is the shocking piece.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
