Conservation officials say a teenage boy was also injured when the bear charged a family of four hiking the trails of the Bear Mountain Nordic Ski Association, about six kilometers from the town in the province’s northeast. Police say rescue teams and RCMP were called to the area and searched the 23-kilometre forest trail network for an hour after receiving reports of the attack. As darkness fell, police say two RCMP officers in an all-terrain vehicle found the two women lying in the bush with life-threatening injuries. Staff Sergeant Damon Verrell, commander of the Dawson’s Creek RCMP detachment, said officers shot and killed a nearby large black bear boar that appeared to be “guarding the victims.” In a written post, the Conservation Officer Service said the family was chased by the bear after it charged at them and attacked one of the women. The second woman and a teenage boy were injured trying to help her. The conservation agency says the boy was dragged by the bear, but was able to leave the area to get help. RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said a family member was able to call police. Volunteers from South Peace Search and Rescue helped carry the women, aged 30 and 48, out of the bush to paramedics. One of the women was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital. The other woman and the teenager were taken to hospital in Dawson Creek. Officials say officers have not spotted any other bears in the area and will perform a necropsy on the bear that was shot. The BC Conservation Officer Service says it is continuing its investigation at the scene of a bear attack near Dawson Creek on Monday. (Facebook/BC Conservation Officer Service) RCMP said people in the backcountry should carry bear spray, travel in groups and avoid hiking at sunrise and sunset, when bears will be most active. The Bear Mountain Nordic Ski Association maintains trails for hiking, cross-country running, wildlife viewing, mountain biking and horseback riding in the summer. The trails were closed to the public after the attack.
