The people who died in a grizzly bear attack in Banff National Park were common law partners. .“They were long-term partners who loved the outdoors and were inseparable,” said a family member in a Sunday statement to CBC News Calgary. .“They lived for being in the backcountry and were two of the most cautious people I know.”.Parks Canada said on Sunday a grizzly bear attacked and killed two people and their dog in Banff National Park west of Sundre, AB, on Friday. .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.”.The family member chose to keep the couple’s name confidential until all members of the family could be notified. Their dog, who was with them at the time, was killed. .He said they “knew bear protocol and followed it to a tee.”.Fay said Parks Canada received an alert from a GPS device in the Red Deer Valley on Friday at about 8 p.m. that indicated a bear attack. She added a team trained in wildlife attacks was mobilized, but weather hindered its response time. .While in the area, the response team encountered a bear displaying aggressive behaviour, leading Parks Canada staff to kill the animal on site for public safety. .RCMP arrived at 5 a.m. to transport the victims to Sundre. .“This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” said Fay. .Bear Safety and More founder Kim Titchener said fatal bear encounters are rare. .“Often when people have encounters with grizzlies, usually the grizzly goes one direction and the people go in the other,” said Titchener. .“So we rarely do see cases where we actually have everyone involved killed.”.Of all grizzly bear attacks worldwide, Titchener said 14% lead to fatalities. She added the majority of them are caused by surprise encounters. .With the couple, she said they could have surprised a bear at close range and had an encounter that led to a defensive attack. She called it “extremely rare to see predatory attacks by grizzly bears, but not unheard of.”.At this time of the year, she said bears are in hyperphagia — a period of increased appetite as they prepare to hibernate for the winter. While she said there is no relationship between this time frame and increased bear attacks on humans, they are hungry. .She pointed out they try to dig up root systems and eat what grasses and berries are left to get on those last few pounds before they head into their dens. .While some bears head into the dens in mid-October, large ones can stay active until December. .The family member said he received a notification via inReach at 5 p.m. that the couple had camped for the night. He said they checked in every night. .“This means they were not travelling after dark and they were not setting up camp when the attack happened,” he said. .Parks Canada could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
