Minister says bear situation on the eastern slopes 'challenging' after fatal attack

There has been an increase in human interaction with bears in the area of Banff National Park where a couple wasfatally attacked on Sept. 29, Alberta Minister Jason Nixon said speaking to the media on Monday.

"This is an area on the back end of Banff National Park and the Ya Ha Tinda ranch which is a very, very remote place," said Nixon, whose electoral district,Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre,isnear the attack area.

"It is where grizzly bears call home and we are seeing the grizzly bear population recover significantly in those areas."

Nixon said that bear populations have rebounded "significantly" on the eastern slopes in comparison to other parts of the province, presenting what he called a unique challenge to the government as people continue to pursue recreation in that area.

"[There] is a large population of bears out there ... certainly things have changed from 20 years ago when you would have went for a walk in that same area."

WATCH|A grizzly bear killed two people in Banff National Park on Friday night:

Couple killed in grizzly bear attack

1 year ago

Duration 1:39

A grizzly bear attacked and killed two people in Albertas Banff National Park on Friday night, Parks Canada says. A response team discovered the bodies but also encountered an aggressive grizzly bear in the area, which led to staff killing it for public safety.

"So I think education is important, but at the same time, they sound like very experienced people in the backcountry. This is a very tragic circumstance for those two individuals and for their families."

At about 8 p.m. on Friday, Parks Canada said dispatchers received an alert an inReach GPS device about a bear attack west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, which is about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

It immediately sent its Wildlife Human Attack Response Team to the area by ground because weather conditions in the mountains prevented it from using a helicopter.

The team arrived at about 1 a.m. Saturday and found two people dead, an earlier Parks Canada statement said.

Parks Canada said the team encountered a grizzly bear behaving aggressively and killed it to protect the public.

Grizzly bear experts say fatal attacks are extremely rare, but it's always a risk when people venture into the wilderness.

Kevin Van Tighem, who worked as a biologist in the national parks and wrote the book "Bears Without Fear," said it's tragic for the victims and their families.

"It's a horrible thing to have happen," he said in an interview. "The family doesn't come out of it (unscathed), so I really feel for everybody involved."

Van Tighem said he awaits more details from the Parks Canada investigation, but noted grizzly bear attacks are still unusual. His sister Patricia and her husband were badly injured in 1983 by a grizzly bear in Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta.

"It's exceptionally rare to have a bear attack. It's even more rare to have people killed by bears, but it can happen. It's happened in the past. It's a risk that people take when they go out into the backcountry," said Van Tighem.

"My understanding is that the individuals involved were very aware of the risks. It's just a very unfortunate thing to happen. You just can't control all the variables when you're out there."

Bears, he said, are feeding intensely at this time of year to put on weight before winter and hibernation.

"They are totally food obsessed," he said. "That means that it's very easy to surprise them."

"If they feel their food source is threatened, that can make them defensive."

Parks Canada has not provided more details, and said Monday it would not have an update on the attack before Tuesday.

"We are working to confirm further information," spokeswoman Natalie Fay said in an email.

"This is a tragic situation and out of respect for the victims and their families, Parks Canada has a responsibility to ensure information is confirmed and accurate before releasing it publicly."

The Red Deer and Panther valleys from the Snow Creek summit east to the national park boundary, and north to Shale Pass remain closed as a safety precaution until further notice.

Banff National Park, which is Canada's first and busiest national park, is home to both grizzly and black bears.

The last two fatal grizzly bear attacks in Alberta were both in May 2021. A woman was attacked and killed by a bear when she was out for a walk on her private property near Water Valley, Alta.

Her death came three weeks after a man was killed in the Waiparous area when he was out for a run.

A 73-year-old Montana woman was also hospitalized on the weekend after she was attacked by a bear west of Glacier National Park in the United States and just south of the Canadian border.

Montana wildlife officials said the woman, her husband and her dog were in the Flathead National Forest on Sunday afternoon when a bear emerged from thick brush and attacked her.

Her husband deployed bear spray, and the bear moved away from the woman, they said.