A bear that bit a woman who was walking her dog in the McGuffie Trails was destroyed by Powell River RCMP on July 27.
According to a media release from the police, conservation officers attended the scene and took over the investigation. Police added that the victim of the bear attack has been released from hospital and is recovering at home. The RCMP also thanked all trail users for their cooperation.
Through a statement from the victim and some of the details she provided, conservation officer sergeant Dean Miller said he’s more than confident that the destroyed bear was the bear that attacked. He said it was destroyed for public safety.
"The size and colouration, and some of the teeth measurements, really matched," said Miller. "It was destroyed very close to the attack site.
"Essentially, when we get a wildlife attack, we respond and we have to mitigate the situation for public safety. If the bear is exhibiting some unnatural, aggressive or predatory behaviour, we do what we can to mitigate that and then we follow up with the investigation."
Miller, when interviewed by the Peak in the late afternoon, said the investigation had been "pretty much concluded."
He said the next part of the case is looking at the animal's health. He said the bear was a sow and had yearlings with it, which is a bit odd, because they are usually out of the family in early June.
"We just left them in place," said Miller.
An animal health necropsy will be conducted on the dead bear to see if there were any physical health issues that may have led to higher aggression.
"It's very unusual that they attack a human and exhibit these kinds of behaviours," he added.
He said the woman who was attacked did everything right and the attack was not a case of human error.
"The bear seemed to be very focused on her and not her dog, which is very unusual," added Miller.
He said there had been reports in the neighbourhood of increased bear aggression, and there was a recent occurrence where a bear swatted a dog.
Miller said this is a high conflict season. He said bears, in the summer, when it gets hot, experience gaps in food supply. He said this year, with the colder spring, the berry season is late.
"With high heat, very much like humans, they do become a little bit more agitated and desperate at times, so this is a good time to be cautious," said Miller. "It is important to remove all outside attractions. The standard bear aware practices are very important this time of year."
Miller said if people are taking to the woodlands, it is good to have bear spray, which is a very effective tool.
"It's always important to have it immediately accessible and not just sitting in the bottom of a backpack," said Miller.
Currently, there are no conservation officers in the qathet region. Miller travelled up from the lower Sunshine Coast after the attack. He said he wanted to commend Powell River RCMP officers for their assistance with this case.
"They were just so gracious in helping us," said Miller. "We'll have a conservation officer in the mid-fall in Powell River."
