A man who was attacked by a bear and had his head in the bear’s jaw has passed away despite initially surviving the encounter. Joe Pendry, aged 63, was hunting elk near Fort Steele, northeast of Cranbrook, in British Columbia, Canada, when he encountered a bear and her two cubs on October 2. His wife, Janice, revealed on Saturday that he succumbed to a blood clot following the brutal attack.
Following the incident, Janice recounted that Joe attempted to stop the charging bear by shooting at its leg, but the bear persisted and eventually clamped its teeth around Joe’s head. In a desperate struggle for survival, Joe resorted to punching and biting the bear’s ear. The attack left Joe with severe injuries, including the loss of his lips and part of his scalp, a missing finger, a broken nose, cheekbones, arms, and ribs.
After successfully fighting off the bear, Joe managed to call 911 and his son for help. He was airlifted to Kelowna General Hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries on his facial and bodily injuries. The Conservation Officer Service of British Columbia confirmed the discovery of a dead grizzly bear in the vicinity of the attack site, attributing the incident to the bear.
According to Pendry, the bear died from sepsis. The COS verified through DNA analysis that the deceased bear was the one involved in the attack. WildSafeBC, a non-profit organization, reported receiving hundreds of grizzly bear-related calls annually, noting that while grizzly attacks are rare, they can be fatal.
In a separate incident in October, two hikers were attacked by a grizzly bear with two cubs in the McGregor mount area northeast of Prince George, resulting in serious injuries to the hikers. Authorities advised individuals encountering bears to remain calm, speak softly while backing away slowly, and stand their ground if charged while using bear spray if necessary.