Two women have been left with life-changing injuries after being mauled by a black bear, in what is thought to have been a predatory attack.
Leosette [Cheng] Canoy, her niece Wennali, her friend, Analyn Shurtliff Bartolome, and Bartolome’s teenage son, were charged at and attacked by a male black bear while they were walking in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, on October 10. All of them except the niece were injured, and Canoy and Bartoleme were critically hurt.
“They turned to run and the bear chased after them. One woman was attacked by the bear, while another woman and teenage boy were also injured trying to help,” the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) said in a Facebook post.
Black bears are found across North America, with there being between 120,000 and 150,000 of the creatures living in British Columbia in Canada alone. Black bears hibernate over the winter, entering their dens in October and November. Before their hibernation, which can last between three and eight months depending on the climate, the bears can put on up to 30 pounds of body fat to last them through the long period without hunting.
“Dawson Creek RCMP and COS responded to the attack site,” wrote the BCCOS. “RCMP shot and killed a bear in the immediate area of the victims. One victim was airlifted to hospital in
Edmonton, where she remains. Her condition at this time is unknown. The other two victims were taken to hospital in Dawson Creek.”
According to Canadian CBC News, Canoy underwent six hours of surgery for injuries to her arms, head, back, and ear. Bartoleme also suffered severe injuries to her arms.
“She’s my gift from God. It’s horrific to see my wife like that. The bear chewed her up bad,” Gary Hansen, Canoy’s husband, told CBC.
After the bear and the attack site were examined, the BCCOS confirmed that the male bear was acting alone, and was attempting to hunt and kill the hikers.
“Conservation Officers examined the attack site – which included taking photographs, measurements and collecting evidence – and interviewed victims and witnesses as part of the investigation, which determined the attack was predatory in nature,” the BCCOS said in another Facebook post.
This type of predatory attack is uncommon—according to ABC, about one black bear in a million will attack a human in a predatory manner—and that may have been linked to the fact that hibernation season is about to begin.
“As has been well documented, bear attacks are very rare but when black bears attack it is nearly always predatory or defensive-aggressive,” Tom S. Smith, a professor of wildlife sciences at Brigham Young University, told Newsweek.
“Bears at this time of year are in their hyperphagic phase, that is, they are attempting to put on as much fat as possible for the long winter’s sleep. While the bear may have been old, diseased, or under-nourished, we don’t have to invoke some pathological reason for an attack: sometimes bears simply attempt to take humans, as they would any prey, when they ‘think’ they can. Such appears to be the case here.”
In the case of a bear encounter, the British Columbia government website advises hikers to slowly back away, talking to the bear in a quiet, monotone voice, and to not scream, turn your back on the bear, kneel down or make direct eye contact. (Newsweek)