Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) have confirmed that the man who was attacked by a female grizzly bear in the Madden area on Sunday defended himself with a full can of bear spray, likely preventing him from sustaining even more serious injuries, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said.
The man mauled in the attack, a hunter who was familiar with the area, was transported to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary with serious traumatic, but non-life-threatening injuries.
The female grizzly bear, who was accompanied by two sub-adult bears, has been confirmed by FWES as the same grizzly bear that was responsible for the death of University of Calgary business school professor David Lertzman in 2021.
At that time, Lertzman’s wife Sarah said in a Facebook post that her husband had failed to return home after trail running near their home in the community of Waiparous. The grizzly bear attacked Lertzman from behind and the 59-year-old business school professor fell off a 300-metre embankment.
The bear evaded capture in 2021 and had not been seen until Sunday when it mauled the Madden-area hunter.
Sheena Campbell, the Director of Communications for the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said that the search for the aggressive grizzly is ongoing.
“Fish and wildlife officers are actively working to locate the bear, including setting numerous traps and deploying low-flying aircraft,” Campbell said. “Residents may also notice an increased presence of fish and wildlife officers patrolling in the area.”
Albertans are urged to report any sightings of a female grizzly bear with sub-adult bears in the Madden area, specifically between Lochend Road and Highway 22, to the Report-A-Poacher hotline at 1-800-642-3800.