A Canadian couple mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping in a national park sent a distressing 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 the bear attack Friday inside Banff National Park after their bear spray failed to thwart the hungry beast, according to local reports.
The pair of experienced hikers had shared a full itinerary of their seven-day hiking trip with Inglis’ uncle Colin Inglis and remained in contact with him through a satellite communication device, the family member told the Calgary Herald.
Late Friday afternoon, they let him know that they were delayed getting to their planned camping spot and instead bunked down for the night near the Red Deer River in the Panther Valley.
But just a few hours later, Colin said, he received a troubling SOS message and knew right away it was serious.
“I got a call from their Garmin [inReach device] that 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 were going off, ‘This is not good’ — that means there’d been some engagement. You’re completely helpless to know what’s going on.”
A helicopter was deployed to find and rescue the couple but had to turn back due to overcast conditions. An on-the-ground response team was sent out to reach Inglis and Gusse via ATVs around 10:30 p.m.
The trek took three hours and it was nearly 2 a.m. by the time they reached the couple’s campsite, according to the Herald.
There they found the mauled bodies of Inglis and Gusse along with their 7-year-old border collie, Colin said.
The couple sent a distressing text when the bear spray they used to scare off the grizzly failed. Ron TeatherThe couple — a research scientist and a lab technician at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Centre — appeared to have tried to fight off the bear with bear spray, but the animal was relentless.
“One can of bear spray had been fully discharged, but this bear was not to be deterred,” Colin said.
Park officials believe the couple was inside their tent reading when they were attacked.
“Their tent was crushed and their e-readers were open, they were both discovered in their stocking feet,” the victim’s uncle said, recounting what authorities told him.
The grizzly was still showing signs of aggression once the rescue crew arrived and they were forced to shoot it to save themselves. Peter Adams/Danita Delimont – stock.adobe.comWhen the rescue team finally reached them, they encountered what was believed to be the same murderous beast responsible for Inglis’ and Gusse’s deaths.
The grizzly was still showing signs of aggression and the crew said they were forced to shoot it to save themselves.
“In their words, the bear was intent on killing them,” Colin told the Herald.
The bear was a 25-year-old female in “fair body condition” but was underweight for this time of year, when the animals were preparing for hibernation.
The alert location received by Parks Canada Dispatch in Banff National Park indicates a bear attack. Banff National ParkInvestigators will perform an autopsy on the grizzly to confirm that it was the same animal that killed Inglis and Gusse, who met at university and had been together ever since.
The attack was the first time a grizzly has killed humans inside Banff National Park in decades.
However, in 2021, two people were killed in separate attacks in the nearby Waiparous and Water Valley areas.
