Officials arrived at the camp site more than 24 hours later, where they found two bodies.
The Human Wildlife Response Team, whose members are specially trained to respond to animal attacks, said it found a grizzly bear in the area that was displaying “aggressive behavior.”
Banff National Park said in a report that the team chose to euthanize the bear immediately “to ensure public safety.” statement in Facebook.
The deceased couple was found at 1 a.m. on Sunday. Four hours later, local police arrived and transported the victims to the town of Sundre in central Alberta.
The identity of the victims has not yet been identified, but rather the identity of a family member He told Canadian Broadcasting News They were common-law partners and experienced country hikers.
A family member said the couple’s dog was also killed.
“They were long-term partners, loved the outdoors and were inseparable,” a family member said in a statement to CBC. “They lived in the backcountry and were some of the most cautious people I know. They knew bear protocol and followed it to the end.
Parks Canada did not immediately respond to questions from The Washington Post about the identity of the couple on Monday morning.
It was at least the second fatal attack in North America since July, when a grizzly bear attacked a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park in the US. The Post reported in September that the bear was later euthanized after it broke into a person’s home in search of food.
The Canadian Rockies and Columbia are home to both grizzly and black bears. According to To Parks Canada.
Bear sightings become more common in the fall when the animals begin searching for food as they prepare to hibernate during the cold winter months.
The Parks Canada website says the safest approach is to avoid encountering a bear, but if that’s not possible, using bear spray or playing dead should be the first option. If these steps don’t work, hikers may have to fight back.
Fourteen percent of grizzly bear attacks result in deaths worldwide, says Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety and More who is also a family friend of at least one of the victims. He told Reuters.
Violent encounters between bears and humans are increasing as more people enjoy the outdoors, but they are still very rare, she said.
“That’s the real reason we’re seeing more attacks, is because more people are going abroad and unfortunately they’re not being educated about this,” she said.
Banff National Park is home to about 65 grizzly bears. According to To Canada’s parks, it is considered an endangered species.
Across the broader region of western Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and British Columbia, there are up to 20,000 grizzly bears.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada lists grizzly bears as a species of “particular concern” because they are particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
Parks Canada said these animals are becoming extinct due to human intolerance, market hunting, rapid conversion of their habitats to agriculture, and the loss of their main prey, the buffalo.
Officials Closing the area indefinitely The park where the attack took place. Visitors can be fined up to $25,000 if they are spotted in restricted areas.