A man who was attacked by a bear and initially survived has tragically passed away. Joe Pendry, aged 63, was hunting elk near Fort Steele, northeast of Cranbrook, in Canada when he encountered a bear with two cubs on October 2. Despite surviving the initial attack, Joe succumbed to a blood clot, as confirmed by his wife, Janice, on Saturday.
Following the encounter, Janice recounted that Joe attempted to deter the bear by shooting at its leg, but the bear persisted and ultimately clamped its jaws around Joe’s head. In a desperate struggle for survival, Joe resorted to punching and biting the bear’s ear. The injuries sustained by Joe were severe, including the loss of his lips and part of his scalp, a missing finger, a broken nose, cheekbones, arms, and ribs.
After fighting off the bear, Joe managed to call for help and was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries. The British Columbia Officer Service reported finding a dead grizzly bear in the vicinity of the attack, confirming it as the bear responsible for the incident.
According to Pendry, the bear died from sepsis. The Conservation Officer Service stated, “The COS recovered the bear and through DNA analysis were able to confirm that this was the bear involved in the attack.” The victim is currently hospitalized and on the path to recovery.
WildSafeBC, a non-profit organization, highlighted that grizzly bear incidents are infrequent but potentially fatal, with hundreds of bear-related calls received annually. In a separate incident in October, two hikers were seriously injured by a grizzly bear with two cubs in the McGregor mount area northeast of Prince George.
To ensure safety when encountering bears, individuals are advised to remain calm, avoid running, speak calmly while slowly backing away, and stand their ground if a bear charges, using bear spray if necessary.
