Two Canadian women were attacked by a bear along a nature trail Monday, resulting in serious injuries.
Analyn Shurtliff Bartolome, her teenage son, Leosette Canoy, and her niece were walking on the Wolverine Trail at Bear Mountain Cross Country Ski Club in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, before 7 p.m. when the attack occurred. A black bear was already charging at them by the time they noticed the animal, according to the Conservation Officer Service. The group attempted to escape but could not outrun the bear, with the animal eventually attacking the two women.
Bartolome’s son punched the bear and hit it with a stick while it attacked the women, only to be knocked off to the side, resulting in bruised ribs, according to a fundraiser in the family’s name. The teenager and the niece were eventually able to get to the ski club’s cabin and call 911.
MOUNTAIN LION MAULS 7-YEAR-OLD BOY
“Dawson Creek [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] and COS responded to the attack site,” COS reported Tuesday. “RCMP shot and killed a bear in the immediate area of the victims.”
Officers had arrived just at sunset, around 7:50 p.m., and believed the bear was guarding its victims. Black bears are known to guard or cover their prey so they can feed from it for several days, according to Yellowstone National Park.
Canoy, also known as Cheng, suffered injuries so great that she was airlifted to Edmonton Royal Alexandra Hospital over 360 miles away, according to a fundraiser in her name. Bartolome and her son received treatment at a hospital in Dawson Creek. Another fundraiser claims that Bartolome was airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver. Both fundraisers have met their prospective goals, raising a combined total of more than $22,000.
Gary Hansen, the husband of Canoy, told CBC, “She’s my gift from God. It’s horrific to see my wife like that. The bear chewed her up bad.”
As a result of the attack, COS closed the trail the next day to investigate. The organization reported it investigated another bear attack that caused minor injuries to a woman and her dogs just the weekend before.
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COS recommends that those who traverse bear country do so in groups carrying pepper spray. It further discourages people from feeding bears.
