The bear responsible for mauling two Vancouver Island campers was killed by conservation officers Wednesday night when it returned to the scene of the attack.
Jay Vinden and Bruce Doyle were mauled early Wednesday morning on Sproat Lake, near Port Alberni.
Conservation officers secured the area, set traps and brought in tracking dogs to find the young bear, but initially had no success. But as they were setting a snare trap, one officer heard a noise.
"He spotted the bear and said the magic words -- 'Bear, bear, bear' -- and all three of us responded and took up our firearms. We noticed the bear matched the description of the possible offending animal and we put it down," conservation officer Mike Newton told CTV News.
The young, healthy looking bear was less than eight metres away. The officers say they're sure it was the right bear, because it had a fresh cut, right between the eyes, that Vinden had inflicted with his knife.
The bear's body will now be examined for possible clues to what triggered the attack. Vinden and Doyle have said they didn't leave any garbage or food around the campsite, but that the bear had visited the site on numerous occasions during their four-day stay.
As for Vinden, he said he's feeling "99 per cent" a day after losing a chunk of his scalp.
He said Thursday that doctors in Nanaimo have now grafted flesh from his thigh onto his head.
"I am religious. I've said my thanks and now I just get on with life."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jim Beatty
