Man suffers "significant injuries" in grizzly bear attack while hunting with father in Canada

A man in British Columbia suffered "significant injuries" after being attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting with his father, Canadian authorities said Friday.

The 36-year-old man and his father were tracking a bear with dogs on Thursday near Elkford — a remote area about 80 miles southwest of Calgary — when an adult grizzly bear suddenly attacked him, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a news release. Despite suffering broken bones and lacerations during the attack, the man was able to defend himself with his gun and the bear ran off. His father called for help.

The victim suffered "significant injuries" and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Calgary, where he remains, according to the Conservation Officer Service. The man was in stable condition when he was flown from the scene, police said.

Initially there was no indication whether the grizzly was alive or wounded. After an extensive search, at about 9:00 p.m. local time, conservation officers located a dead grizzly bear in the area. Officers said they are confident that it was the bear involved in the attack and it had succumbed to its gunshot wounds.

Conservation officers were working with Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers to interview the victim and gather evidence.

Grizzly attacks are rare but there have been some incidents in recent months in both Canada and the U.S. Last fall, a Canadian couple and their dog were killed by a grizzly bear while backpacking in Banff National Park. The couple's nephew said they sent a final ominous message they sent from their GPS device: "Bear attack bad."

Just weeks before that, a hunter in Montana was severely mauled by a grizzly bear. 

Last July, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was later euthanized after breaking into a house near West Yellowstone in August. 

Also that month, a 21-year-old woman who was planting trees was seriously injured by a bear in British Columbia. Canadian officials could not locate the animal but believe it was a grizzly bear that attacked the woman.

In October 2022, a grizzly bear attacked and injured two college wrestlers in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming.

Grizzly bears in the 48 contiguous states are protected as a threatened species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  

Last month, the U.S. National Park Service announced it was launching a campaign to capture grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park for research purposes. The agency urged the public to steer clear of areas with traps, which would be clearly marked.

In:
• Grizzly Bear
• Canada

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.