A Yukon conservation officer who specializes in human-wildlife conflict hopes that an investigation into a grizzly attack on a Haines Junction resident near Pine Lake Campground will help heal the survivor and the community.
In this case, multiple bears were around when the local resident was mauled while jogging with her leashed dog along the Trans Canada Trail between Haines Junction and Pine Lake at around 10:30 p.m. on June 30.
Following the “serious bear encounter,” conservation officers shot and killed three grizzlies while a fourth bear remains at large, according to conservation officer Dean McLean from Haines Junction.
“We're really trying to conduct a thorough investigation, so that in the end, we can provide all the answers possible for the survivor and the community that's been affected to help them move on to the healing path,” he said.
“One of the factors that holds a lot of those answers is the animal that was involved in the attack (...) We also want to understand the dynamic of the group of bears that was there.”
Age and sex of the dead bears are expected to be determined through the investigation.
McLean was involved in the response to the incident.
“It's not possible to determine which one did or did not do the attack unless you have access to that bear to do DNA testing and samples and lab work,” he said.
“Out of abundance of caution for public safety in the area, in the community, the decision was made to euthanize those bears that were in the immediate area of the attack location and continue with that process to hopefully find answers for everyone involved.”
McLean looked back on the sequence of events involving the encounter between the jogger, her dog and the bears.
“They surprised the group at a close distance in a tight area where visibility was limited, and as a result, it triggered a defensive attack by one of the bears,” he said.
He explained the individual got away and calls were placed to conservation officers. When officers arrived, one of the bears observed was euthanized right away at the site. Two more were put down by officers after following the remaining bears and making assessments.
Amid all that, McLean said the Pine Lake Campground was evacuated in the middle of the night out of caution for public safety given that multiple bears were involved in the incident near the campground.
“We really didn't want to have the unaware campers waking up or leaving their campsite and bumping into a bear that's leaving the area, wandering through the area, or anything like that, so that's why that was evacuated,” he said.
There have been no further sightings, calls or indications that the bear is still in the area, per McLean. Conservation officers are no longer searching for the fourth bear using helicopters and drones, but they continue to monitor the area for bear activity.
The Pine Lake Campground remains closed as of the morning of July 4 due to bear activity, as noted on the Yukon government web page on campground status.
Conservation officers are the front lines of environmental law enforcement and public safety in the Yukon. McLean understands people might have different opinions on how the situation was handled.
“We do make that decision (to euthanize the bears) with public safety in mind at the time of the event, but also for the future in that area,” he said. “It's definitely not made lightly, and it definitely affects everyone involved.”
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
