Fish and Wildlife look for aggressive grizzly in Madden, Alta., area

The provincial government is warning residents of Madden, Alta., and the surrounding area about an aggressive grizzly bear.

The warning was issued the evening of Sept. 4, following a report from the RCMP about an attack on Sept. 1.

It was issued after it was discovered this isn't the first time the particular bear attacked a human being.

According to the province, Mounties reported the victim "was attacked by a female grizzly bear with sub-adult bears near the hamlet of Madden."

"The individual, who was in a forested area at the time, sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries," the province said.

"Following further investigation, (Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services) determined through DNA samples that the bear was also responsible for a fatal attack that occurred in 2021 near the village of Waiparous."

Officials say the man who died in that incident was Dr. David Lertzman, a senior instructor at the University of Calgary. He was jogging near his home and his remains were found near Moss Trail.

Fish and wildlife officers are now looking for the bear.

The province asks that sightings of "a female grizzly bear with sub-adult bears" in the Madden area be reported to 1-800-642-3800.

Hunter rescued by good Samaritans

Christine MacKinnon lives nearby where the grizzly bear and its three cubs were first spotted on September 1, just north of her property.

She and her husband Ryan had received a photo of the animals in the area from their neighbour Cole and within 20 minutes received another call from Cole mentioning that a hunter had been attacked.

We arrived first on scene, got the property gates open for emergency responders and then went to work to locate the hunter,” said MacKinnon.

“Ryan went on foot through thick brush while Cole and I brought the truck to meet him. We phoned fish and wildlife at this time. Once the victim was located, Cole and Ryan went to work with first aid while I went to escort EMS and fire to the location.”

MacKinnon said the three of them, along with a conservation officer, an RCMP officer, EMS and two firefighters helped placed the injured hunter on a back board.

“We were surprised to learn this was the same bear involved in the attack in 2021," she added.

“We’re hoping she will be located sooner than later. We are exercising caution when out in the bush around our place.”

A search is underway for an aggressive grizzly near the hamlet of Madden, Alberta. Sept. 05, 2024 (Photo: Courtesy Christine McKinnon)

Bears with cubs more likely to attack

Jay Honeyman retired in Spring 2022 after a decade spent working as the province’s only large carnivore conflict biologist.

He said grizzly bears in Alberta are still considered a threatened species, but can often roam near farming communities or campsites where human beings are present.

“Generally speaking, bears are surprised by people and if they don't see the person coming, it surprises them, and they feel threatened by the presence of the person,” Honeyman said.

“Sometimes they'll be the able to run away, or they could potentially try to remove the threat. Removing the threat means potentially attacking the person.”

Honeyman noted that bears with their cubs are particularly protective and will be more likely to attack should they be provoked.

In the case of this grizzly bear that’s already been involved in a fatal 2021 attack, the likely course of action for Fish and Wildlife is to euthanize the bear according to Honeyman.

“There was an attempt to capture the bear in 2021 which was unsuccessful, but once this bear is caught there’s a good chance they would euthanize it along with its cubs," Honeyman said.

He added that the best course of action in the meantime is to take a cautious approach should anyone encounter a bear in the wild.

“It's really important to make your presence known when you're wandering around in bear country, carry bear spray, (and) if you can travel in groups that's to your benefit as well,” said Honeyman.

“Make noise, and if you have pets, make sure they're under control. Bears and dogs generally don't get along well, particularly if there's cubs involved. So if you have an opportunity and bears get close to you, discharge the bear spray."

With files from Damien Wood