A MARRIED couple was killed after being gruesomely attacked by a grizzly bear while taking their dog out for a walk at a national park.
Officials said the horrific scene took place at the Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada in the Red Deer River Valley, west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch.
GettyA couple was mauled to death by a grizzly bear while walking their dog at the Banff National Park in Canada[/caption]
A GPS device alerted officials, indicating that a bear attack had taken place.
The bear was later found and euthanized after it displayed aggressive behavior, said Parks Canada.
Kim Titchener, the founder of Bear Safety and More, said the victims were a Canadian couple and their dog.
“They were long-term partners who loved the outdoors and were inseparable,” said a family friend in a statement.
“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.”
Titchener offers training on bear safety and says these types of encounters are happening more and more often as people are going outdoors.
However, fatal attacks are still 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 told Reuters.
Titchener added that only 14 percent of grizzly bear attacks around the world lead to death.
“Often when people have encounters with grizzlies, usually the grizzly goes one direction and the people go in the other,” she said.
“So we rarely do see cases where we actually have everyone involved killed.”
Bear sightings are more common in autumn as the animals search for food in preparation for hibernation.
Banff National Park attracts more than four million tourists each year and it is also home to both grizzly bears and black bears.
Titchener explained that there are about 60 grizzly bears in the park and that they’re considered to be a threatened population in Alberta.
Parks Canada said in a statement that the rescue team had to travel by ground to the location since weather conditions at the time made it impossible to use helicopters.
The bodies of the couple were discovered on Saturday by the response team, said the agency.
“This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” read the statement.
The victims’ names have not been released at this time.
GettyBanff National Park attracts more than four million tourists each year and it is also home to both grizzly bears and black bears[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
