It was one week ago when an Alberni Valley couple, outside their home, witnessed an aggressive bear unlike any they had seen before.
“The bear kept walking towards us and I thought there’s something wrong here,” said Grant Naedel.
“That’s not right. I said ‘everybody back in’ and the dog got out and all hell broke loose.”
The bear rushed and grabbed at the smaller of their two dogs
“As it grabbed Leena Rexi charged the bear and the bear grabbed Rexi, picked her up and dragged her to the back of the property and proceeded to eat her,” said Anita Naedel.
They called 911.
Police arrived soon after and shot and killed the bear.
In the days prior, in the Alberni Valley, a bear had grabbed and eaten another dog and in a separate incident and chased these two large dogs near Sproat Lake.
“He was chasing the dogs. Like I couldn’t believe it and they were all coming at me,” said Georga Borgford.
One dog kept the pursuit going.
Eventually, Georgia Borgford was able to get one of her dogs and run into her house.
After the second dog got into the house the bear left. It left the fisheries worker shocked.
“I have worked around them for years 32 years and I’ve just never seen a bear act like that. I’ve never phoned the CO’s out here. I see lots of bears. I love wildlife. This one was different and really aggressive,” said Borgford.
B.C.’s Conservation service says it is very unusual bear behaviour and it could be related to the drought conditions and a lack of food for bears.
“It’s possible,” said Sgt. Stuart Bates. “They do typically predate on fawns and this time of year they actively go searching for them so it may be related to that and they just came across dogs instead of fawns.”
The Conservation Service hasn’t had any similar reports since so it’s hoped all three incidents involved the same bear.
Anita Naedel says she suspects the bear was so aggressive because it was hungry and not finding food in the forest.
She wants other dog owners to be aware so they might avoid such a devastating loss.
Kendall Hanson
