A dog was attacked and killed by a black bear in Jasper National Park, Alberta on Saturday.
Visitors were walking their dogs on Wabasso Lake Road when a black bear approached them and attacked one of the dogs, the national park said on its Facebook account.
Hikers tried to scare the animal away with bear repellent, without success.
“Parks Canada staff are patrolling and using wildlife cameras and a bear trap to try to find the bear linked to the incident,” the national agency said, before offering condolences. to the dog’s master. “This is a very sad reminder that in a national park, owners must control their pets at all times and keep them on a leash,” it added.
Human/wildlife conflict experts responded to the incident and closed the part of the road where the tragedy took place for investigation.
To stay safe, Parks Canada recommends being aware of the surroundings, traveling in a group, making noise, and having bear repellent (and knowing how to use it).
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a dog versus bear conflict has occurred. Indeed, in 2018 in the same park, a man had fought with a black bear who had killed his dog after the latter had jumped out of the car window.
In 2016, a former Ontario boxer in his 60s fought with his bare hands to defend his dog in Sudbury, and escaped with a few scratches. The man, however, made it clear that there was no reason to fear black bears, unless a bear cub was involved.