An individual who was attacked by a bear and had his head caught in its jaws has tragically passed away despite initially surviving the brutal encounter.
Joe Pendry, aged 63, was hunting elk near Fort Steele, northeast of Cranbrook, in British Columbia, Canada, on October 2 when he encountered a bear and her two cubs. Despite briefly surviving the vicious attack, Joe succumbed to a fatal blood clot, as confirmed by his wife Janice on Saturday.
Following the incident, Janice recounted that Joe attempted to defend himself by shooting at the bear’s leg as it charged towards him. However, the bear persisted and clamped its teeth around Joe’s head. Joe bravely fought back by punching and biting the bear’s ear during the struggle.
As a result of the attack, Joe sustained severe injuries, with his lips and part of his scalp being ripped off, in addition to losing a finger and suffering fractures to his nose, cheekbones, arms, and ribs.
After successfully warding off the bear, Joe managed to call 911 and his son for assistance. He was subsequently airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries on his facial injuries and other wounds, as reported by CBC.
Authorities from the British Columbia Officer Service revealed in a Facebook post that they had discovered a deceased grizzly bear in the vicinity where the attack took place, confirming that the bear was responsible for the incident.
An update from Pendry indicated that the bear had succumbed to sepsis. The Conservation Officer Service confirmed the bear’s involvement through DNA analysis, expressing gratitude for the support received during the response efforts while noting that the victim was still hospitalized and in the process of recovery.
WildSafeBC, a non-profit organization, disclosed that they receive hundreds of reports concerning grizzly bear encounters annually, emphasizing that while grizzly attacks are infrequent, they can result in fatalities.
In a separate incident in October, the British Columbia Officer Service reported that two hikers were attacked by a grizzly bear in the McGregor mount area northeast of Prince George, sustaining serious injuries from the encounter with the bear and her cubs.
Individuals traversing bear-populated areas are advised to remain calm and refrain from running when encountering a bear. They should speak calmly and back away slowly, using bear spray if necessary should the bear charge at them.