A man is recovering in a Calgary hospital after he was mauled by a grizzly bear while hunting near Fernie, B.C. Sunday morning.
According to a Calgary STARS Air Ambulance spokesperson, the 56-year-old man was attacked by the grizzly bear at around 9 a.m. in an area about nine kilometres south of Fernie.
The victim was also shot when his hunting partner attempted to shoot the bear. According to a spokesperson from B.C.’ s Ministry of the Environment, the victim’s hunting partner killed the bear.
Conservation officers and emergency first responders attended the scene immediately.
The man was brought out of the area by ATV and transported by air ambulance to a Calgary hospital. He was in stable condition when he left the Fernie area.
The victim’s hunting partner was not injured.
A similar grizzly attack happened in the same area in July 2013 when three experienced hikers fought off a bear protecting her cub. The hikers used pepper spray and a shot gun and escaped with minor injuries.
An investigation by Fernie and Cranbrook conservation officers into the latest attack is underway.
