Overview
- Joe Pendry, 63, was mauled on Oct. 2 while elk hunting near Fort Steele after encountering a sow grizzly with two cubs.
- He shot the charging bear in the leg and fought back by punching and biting before managing to call 911.
- He was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital and underwent multiple surgeries for severe head and body injuries.
- His wife said he died in hospital on Saturday from a blood clot following weeks of treatment.
- The B.C. Conservation Officer Service recovered a dead grizzly near the site and confirmed by DNA it was the attacker, as officials noted cubs may survive on their own and WildSafeBC reports 400–500 grizzly-related calls each year with attacks uncommon but occasionally fatal.