Cubs sought after man kills mother grizzly Elise Stolte, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, August 18, 2007


GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. -- Wildlife officers are looking for several orphaned bear cubs after a man armed with a machete-style hunting knife managed to fight off and kill an angry mother bear Wednesday night.

"It's been reported the grizzly bear had three cubs," said Alberta Sustainable Resource Development spokesman Darcy Whiteside. "What we're hoping is we can relocate them out of the area and release them back into the wild."

On Wednesday night, a man surveying an area near Grovedale, 480 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, accidentally walked between a mother bear and her cubs.

The mother bear attacked, and the man suffered serious injuries to his arms and a leg.

He managed to stab the animal and escape. Wildlife officers had to call off a search for the bear Wednesday night, but found the body about 27 metres away from the attack Thursday morning.

RCMP Const. Leanne Beattie said the man stabbed the bear three times with a large hunting knife.

The man had bite marks and scratches and appeared to have at least one broken limb. "That's good condition, considering," Beattie said.

Grovedale volunteer fire Capt. Troy Smith described him as a man in his 30s, about six feet tall with an average build.

After the attack, the man walked almost a kilometre back to the road. Despite his injuries, "he seemed all right," Smith said.

Traps have been set out for the bear cubs, but so far investigators have not tracked them down.

The bear's carcass has since been sent to Edmonton for a full autopsy.

estolte@thejournal.canwest.com

© CanWest News Service 2007

I think this man should buy a lottery ticket when he gets out of the hospital. Damn lucky to be able to tell that story to your friends in person.