A man from British Columbia passed away several weeks after a grizzly bear attack left him severely injured in the East Kootenay region earlier this month. Joe Pendry, aged 63, was hunting elk near Fort Steele, located northeast of Cranbrook, on October 2 when he encountered the bear along with two cubs. His wife, Janice Pendry, confirmed on Saturday that he succumbed to a blood clot. Despite the initial attack, Joe’s survival was attributed to his background as a boxer and an experienced outdoor hunting guide.
Janice Pendry recounted the harrowing incident, mentioning that her husband shot the bear in the leg as it charged towards him, but the bear persisted in the attack, even clamping its jaws around his head at one point. In a desperate struggle for survival, Joe resorted to punching and biting the bear’s ear, resulting in severe injuries such as torn lips and scalp, a lost finger, a broken nose, cheekbones, arms, and ribs. Eventually, he managed to fend off the bear, calling for emergency assistance and his son before being airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital. He underwent multiple surgeries on his face and other injured parts of his body.
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (COS) confirmed that a dead grizzly bear found in the area days later was responsible for the attack, as revealed by DNA analysis. The COS recovered the bear and verified its involvement in the incident. The B.C. Environment Ministry informed CBC News that the sow bear had two cubs with her during the attack, but their exact ages were unknown. Cubs typically stay with their mother until their fourth summer, indicating that they might have been old enough to survive independently.
WildSafeBC reports that the COS receives around 400 to 500 grizzly bear-related calls annually. While grizzly bear attacks are infrequent, they can occasionally result in fatalities. The organization also offers guidelines on how to prevent bear encounters on its website.