Mother and daughter attacked by bear in Prince George
Two women have been attacked by a bear northwest of Prince George, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Wednesday.
Conservation officer Chris Doyle said the attack happened Tuesday afternoon on a logging road. The two women, a mother and her adult daughter, were being treated in hospital for minor injuries, the conservation office said.
Doyle said he didn’t have much information but said the service’s predator attack team was investigating.
The service held a conference call Wednesday to provide an update on wildlife encounters in the province. Doyle noted the wolf attack earlier this month in Port Edward that left 72-year-old Stanley Russ with deep bite marks and puncture wounds to both legs and one arm. Russ was flown to Vancouver General Hospital for treatment.
Doyle said there has been a notable increase in wolf activity in Port Edward, which he attributed to the animals becoming more habituated to humans, and an abundance of feral cats in the area.
He said the wolf was killed four days after the attack, and lab tests have confirmed it was the animal that attacked Russ.
“Residents can take some comfort in knowing that this animal is no longer posing a threat to residents and pets in that community,” he said.
Meantime, conservation officers are also reporting illegal poaching of black bears. Doyle said they found the bodies of two black bears that had been shot on a road in Fort Nelson, and one bear shot and left in Haida Gwaii.
On June 9, in Hudson Hope, RCMP went to a residence to arrest a man for dangerous driving and theft.
Along with some stolen items, officers found a caged black bear cub. Conservation officers took the bear to a conservation and rehabilitation centre. An investigation into that incident continues.
“It’s important for everyone to know that they need to do their part to help keep wildlife wild so bears don’t gain an appetite for non-natural food or lose their fear of humans, which puts both bears and communities at risk,” said Doyle.
He reminded people to use bear-proof bins, pick excess fruit from trees or use an electric fence.
Conservation officers will be patrolling areas with a history of bear conflicts.
The conservation service, which has been deemed an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, has also been helping out at the U.S. border as part of the effort to slow the virus from coming into B.C. Over the past few weeks, officers have been helping to educate motorists coming into the province about the need to self-isolate.