A man in British Columbia passed away several weeks after being gravely injured by a mother grizzly bear in the East Kootenay region. Joe Pendry, aged 63, was elk hunting near Fort Steele, northeast of Cranbrook, on October 2 when he had a confrontation with the bear and her two cubs. His wife, Janice Pendry, confirmed that he succumbed to a blood clot.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Joe’s survival after the initial attack was attributed to his background as a boxer and an experienced outdoor hunting guide. Janice Pendry recounted the harrowing incident, mentioning that her husband shot the bear in the leg as it charged at him, but the bear persisted, even clamping its jaws around his head at one point. Joe fought back by punching and biting the bear’s ear, resulting in multiple injuries, including torn lips and scalp, a lost finger, a broken nose, cheekbones, arms, and ribs.
Following the struggle, he managed to fend off the bear, called for assistance, and was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital for extensive surgeries on his face and other injuries. The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service later confirmed through DNA analysis that the bear responsible for the attack died of sepsis.
The B.C. Environment Ministry reported that the sow bear had two cubs, whose ages were undetermined. Cubs typically stay with their mother until their fourth summer, indicating they might have been old enough to survive independently. According to WildSafeBC, the Conservation Officer Service receives hundreds of grizzly bear-related calls annually, with grizzly bear attacks being rare but potentially fatal. The organization offers guidelines on avoiding bear encounters to mitigate risks.