An “aggressive” grizzly bear has killed two people in Canada’s Banff National Park, park officials said on Sunday.
They were notified of the incident on Friday evening, after receiving a GPS alert used to report bear attacks.
A specialised response team then travelled on foot overnight through the mountains and located the deceased couple some five hours later.
The bear, still displaying aggressive behaviour, was euthanised on-site “to ensure public safety”, officials said.
It was the second deadly grizzly attack in North America since July.
When the alarm was triggered on Friday around 20:00 MT (03:00 BST), Parks Canada immediately mobilised a Wildlife Human Attack Response Team, according to a news release.
Weather conditions prevented officials from travelling to the site of the attack by helicopter.
They travelled on ground, arriving in the thick of night around 01:00 on Saturday.
The bodies of the victims were removed from the grounds in the Red Deer River Valley at around 05:00 local time – with the help of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – and taken to Sundre, Alberta, over 186 miles (300km) away.
Officials did not identify the victims, but a family member told Canadian media they were a couple who were seasoned backcountry hikers.
“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,” the family member told CBC News in a statement.
The family member said the couple’s dog was also killed by the grizzly.
An estimated 691 grizzly bears live in Alberta – 65 of them in Banff National Park – according to Parks Canada.
Only 14% of grizzly bear attacks are fatal, according to Reuters, but as more people head outdoors, human-bear encounters are on the rise.
In July, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park.
Following the attack at Banff National Park, officials closed an area around Red Deer and Panther valleys, Parks Canada said.
“This is a tragic incident, and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” officials said.
Source : BBC