cnn
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Two people are dead after a suspected grizzly bear attack in Canada’s Banff National Park, authorities said.
Rescuers were first alerted to the incident around 8 p.m. Friday after receiving “an alert from an inReach/GPS device indicating a bear attack,” the national park said in a statement. statement.
The alert said the incident occurred in the area of Red Deer River Valley Park, which is located in the Canadian Rockies.
“Parks Canada immediately mobilized a Human Attacks on Wildlife Response Team, whose members are specially trained to respond to attacks on wildlife,” Banff National Park said in the statement. “Weather conditions at the time did not allow the use of helicopters, and the response team traveled overnight to the location by land.”
The response team arrived at the scene around 1 a.m. Saturday and found two people dead and a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behavior, according to the release.
Parks Canada staff euthanized the bear “to ensure public safety” and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers arrived on the scene to help transport the victims to Sundre, Alberta, about 75 miles northwest of Calgary, police said. authorities.
“This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada would like to express its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” the statement said.
The alleged fatal grizzly attack in Canada occurred just weeks after a grizzly bear linked to the death of a woman in July near West Yellowstone was euthanized in Montana after breaking into a home through a window with a cub. and take a container of dog food.
In 2020, the same bear was also involved in an encounter that injured a person near Henrys Lake State Park in Idaho, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a news release.
The male cub that was near the adult grizzly bear was captured and was being held in Helena at the agency’s wildlife rehabilitation center before being transferred to a zoo, authorities said.
And last month, parts of the Custer Gallatin National Forest near Big Sky, Montana, were closed after a person was attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting, authorities said.
Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park, is a popular attraction for tourists, known for its picturesque turquoise waters. Parks Canada notes that the park is “home to hundreds of species, including grizzly bears, wolves, moose and more.”
