Man recovering after ‘defensive’ grizzly attack in northern B.C.

A grizzly bear is seen fishing along a river in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park near Bella Coola, B.C. Friday, Sept 10, 2010. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

A man was flown to hospital from a remote area in northern B.C. after being bitten and scratched by a grizzly bear Friday, according to officials.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service posted about the incident online Sunday, saying the attack was reported by a group of workers in a “fly-in” area 110 kilometres west of Fort Nelson.

“The victim noticed a grizzly bear and two cubs nearby just as the sow charged. The victim was bitten and scratched before the bear disengaged,” according to the Facebook post.

“Group members assisted the victim, who was flown to hospital for treatment and has since been released. The entire group was safely evacuated from the area.”

An investigation has determined the attack was defensive in nature, the BCCOS said. That, along with the fact that the location was remote, means there will be no further efforts to locate, trap or kill the bear.

According to publicly available statistics, calls to the BCCOS about grizzlies are rare. The service received 31 calls between 2011 and 2024, and four grizzly bears have been killed in that time period – none by conservation officers.