A Canadian couple who were mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping in a national park sent a heartbreaking message to family members in their last known text before their deaths.
Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, were killed along with their dog in a bear attack Friday inside Banff National Park after their bear spray failed to stop the hungry animal, according to local reports.
The experienced hiking couple had shared the full itinerary of their seven-day hiking trip with Inglis’ uncle, Colin Inglis, and stayed in touch with him via satellite communication device, family members told the Calgary Herald.
Late Friday afternoon, they told him they were late getting to their planned campsite and instead holed up for the night near the Red Deer River in the Panther Valley.
But just hours later, Colin said he received an alarming SOS message and immediately knew it was serious.
“I got a call from their Garmin [inReach device] who said, ‘Bear attack bad,’ ” he told the local outlet, adding that Parks Canada officials were automatically notified by the couple’s message.
Jenny Gusse and Doug Inglis were killed by a grizzly bear while on a canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan. Ron Teather
“The alarm bells are going, ‘this is not good’ — it means there are some engagements. You are completely powerless to know what is going on.”
A helicopter was deployed to search and rescue the couple but had to turn back in cloudy conditions. Field response teams were then dispatched to reach Inglis and Gusse via ATV around 10:30 p.m
The trip took three hours and it was nearly 2 a.m. when they arrived at the couple’s campsite, according to the Herald.
There they found the abused bodies of Inglis and Gusse along with their 7-year-old border collie, Colin said.
The couple sent a distressing text and said the bear spray they used to scare off a grizzly had failed. Ron Teather
The pair – a research scientist and a laboratory technician at the Food and Agriculture Research Center – apparently tried to fight the bar with bear spray but the animal was unrelenting.
“A can of bear spray was completely discharged but this bear was unstoppable,” Colin said.
Park officials believe the couple were inside their tent reading when they were attacked.
“Their tent was crushed and their e-reader was open, both found at the foot of their stocking,” said the victim’s uncle, recounting what authorities told him.
The grizzly was still showing signs of aggression once the rescue crew arrived on the scene and they had to shoot it to save themselves. Peter Adams/Danita Delimont – stock.adobe.com
When the rescue team finally reaches them, they find what is believed to be the same killer beast responsible for the deaths of Inglis and Gusse.
The grizzly still showed signs of aggression and the crew said they had to shoot it to save themselves.
“In their words, the bear intended to kill them,” Colin told the Herald.
The bear is a 25-year-old female in “fair body condition” but underweight this time of year as the animal prepares for hibernation.
The location of the alert received by Parks Canada Dispatch in Banff National Park indicates a bear attack. Banff National Park
Investigators will perform an autopsy on the gray shot to confirm if it was the same animal that killed Inglis and Gusse, who met at university and have been together ever since.
The attack is the first time a grizzly has killed a human inside Banff National Park in decades.
However, in 2021, two people were killed in separate attacks in nearby Waiparous and Water Valley.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
