A STARS Air Ambulance crew transported a man from a location near Fernie, B.C. to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary in critical condition following a Sunday morning encounter with a grizzly bear.
According to STARS spokesperson David Fairbanks, the crew arrived near Fernie shortly before 9:30 a.m. following reports a 56-year-old man had been mauled by a grizzly bear boar and shot.
The gunshot wound was the result of the man's hunting partner attempting to neutralize the animal. The hunting partner was not injured in the attack.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m., at a spot roughly 5 miles south of the town of Fernie. The grizzly bear did not survive the incident.
The victim was transported out of the heavily-wooded area by conservation officers on an ATV to a location where a helicopter could land.
STARS Air Ambulance transported the man to the Foothills Medical Centre in critical condition.
