A family member of the couple fatally attacked by a grizzly bear in Banff National Park said they were long-time partners who enjoyed the outdoors. ."They are a couple that loved each other and loved the outdoors,” said family member Colin Inglis in a Tuesday statement to CBC News Calgary. .“And they were highly, highly experienced in being outback, whether it be serious treks or canoeing, whitewater canoeing in the North country.” .Inglis identified his nephew Doug, 62, and Jenny Gusse, 62, as the two backcountry campers killed by a bear in Banff National Park on Friday. .Parks Canada said on Sunday a grizzly bear attacked and killed two people in Banff west of Sundre, AB. .READ MORE: Two people killed in bear attack in Banff, grizzly euthanized.“Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground,” said Parks Canada Banff external relations manager Natalie Fay. .“The response team arrived on site at 1 a.m. and discovered two deceased individuals.”.Colin said Doug and Gusse lived in Lethbridge, AB, and had been together since university. He said they were on the fifth day of a week-long trip and would go out at least twice per year — often in the spring and fall. .Doug worked as a lab scientist, and Gusse was the lead technician at the same workplace. .When they headed out, Colin said they provided daily messages to him through Garmin inReach. He said he had received a message that day they had not made it to the site they intended, but they were fine and setting up camp. .He said they were probably making dinner and were letting him know they were OK. But later that evening, he said he received an SOS from their Garmin that there had been a bad bear attack..Parks Canada received an alert from a GPS device in the Red Deer Valley on Friday around 8 p.m. indicating a bear attack. It told Colin one bear spray canister was used, but not the second one. .He called that night “a start, obviously, of what's continuing to be a grieving process.” He received that notification and anticipated a bad scenario happening. .While the couple died, he said they were experienced in the backcountry with an extensive set of equipment and the attack was a devastating case of the “wrong place at the wrong time.”.But he is remembering them for what they loved doing. .Colin was hiking with Doug in Waterton, AB, in June and was looking forward to many more adventures. This was the case for many of his friends. .He pointed out Gusse was the botanist. She could identify all of the wonderful plants that were out there. .“And so that's the kind of love they had for the environment that they were out in,” he said.
A family member of the couple fatally attacked by a grizzly bear in Banff National Park said they were long-time partners who enjoyed the outdoors. ."They are a couple that loved each other and loved the outdoors,” said family member Colin Inglis in a Tuesday statement to CBC News Calgary. .“And they were highly, highly experienced in being outback, whether it be serious treks or canoeing, whitewater canoeing in the North country.” .Inglis identified his nephew Doug, 62, and Jenny Gusse, 62, as the two backcountry campers killed by a bear in Banff National Park on Friday. .Parks Canada said on Sunday a grizzly bear attacked and killed two people in Banff west of Sundre, AB. .READ MORE: Two people killed in bear attack in Banff, grizzly euthanized.“Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground,” said Parks Canada Banff external relations manager Natalie Fay. .“The response team arrived on site at 1 a.m. and discovered two deceased individuals.”.Colin said Doug and Gusse lived in Lethbridge, AB, and had been together since university. He said they were on the fifth day of a week-long trip and would go out at least twice per year — often in the spring and fall. .Doug worked as a lab scientist, and Gusse was the lead technician at the same workplace. .When they headed out, Colin said they provided daily messages to him through Garmin inReach. He said he had received a message that day they had not made it to the site they intended, but they were fine and setting up camp. .He said they were probably making dinner and were letting him know they were OK. But later that evening, he said he received an SOS from their Garmin that there had been a bad bear attack..Parks Canada received an alert from a GPS device in the Red Deer Valley on Friday around 8 p.m. indicating a bear attack. It told Colin one bear spray canister was used, but not the second one. .He called that night “a start, obviously, of what's continuing to be a grieving process.” He received that notification and anticipated a bad scenario happening. .While the couple died, he said they were experienced in the backcountry with an extensive set of equipment and the attack was a devastating case of the “wrong place at the wrong time.”.But he is remembering them for what they loved doing. .Colin was hiking with Doug in Waterton, AB, in June and was looking forward to many more adventures. This was the case for many of his friends. .He pointed out Gusse was the botanist. She could identify all of the wonderful plants that were out there. .“And so that's the kind of love they had for the environment that they were out in,” he said.
