Bear caught, euthanized after attack on B.C. man

Conservation officers say a mama bear and her two cubs have been trapped after a man’s terrifying encounter in the Fraser Valley.

A bear that attacked a man after climbing the stairs of a porch in Mission, B.C., over the weekend was trapped and euthanized, according to officials.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said in an update Wednesday that a sow was caught in the area and determined to be the “offending bear” based on descriptions and other evidence gathered in the course of the investigation into the incident.

“The bear was also determined to have a history in the area, displaying behaviour of no fear of humans,” the update from the agency said.

Two other bears, both yearlings, were caught before being tranquilized and relocated, according to the BCCOS, which said the young bears did not have a role in the attack and did not have a history of reported or problematic encounters with humans.

“We recognize this incident and response may be distressing to people,” Sgt. Jeremy Pauls said, in a statement posted online.

“In this case, it was determined that due to the location and nature of the attack, as well as its previous history that displayed comfort around people, the bear was dispatched to ensure public safety.”

The victim of the attack, Gordon Gwyn, spoke to CTV News earlier this week about the alarming incident that left him with a large scratch mark from the animal’s claws and a sizeable bruise on his arm.

The encounter with the animal was totally out of the ordinary, Gwyn said, adding that coexisting with the animals is something people who live in his area are used to.

“It totally shocked me because it’s not a thing that bears around here do, I mean we live with them,” he said. “We yell at them and they go away. This behaviour, I couldn’t believe it. It was just totally against anything I’ve seen before.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Demetra Maragos