Hunter hospitalized with ‘significant injuries’ after grizzly bear attack in British Columbia

ELKFORD, British Columbia — A 36-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital after sustaining multiple injuries in a grizzly bear attack in British Columbia, Canada, authorities said.

The attack happened on a steep mountainside Thursday afternoon south of Elkford, British Columbia, which is in the Rocky Mountain range, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The man and his father were tracking a bear with dogs when an adult grizzly bear suddenly attacked him, police said in a news release Friday.

The hunter suffered “significant injuries,” according to the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, whose team of officers was among several agencies who responded to the attack. His injuries included broken bones and lacerations, police said.

The victim was able to defend himself with his firearm, and the bear ran away while the father called for help, according to police.

Rescue teams moved the victim around 650 feet down the mountainside, where he was taken via a helicopter long line to a hospital in Calgary, Alberta, according to the news release. The hunter was in stable condition as he left the scene, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Conservation officers then searched for the wounded grizzly bear, and shortly after 9 p.m., found the animal dead near where the attack occurred, the Conservation Officer Service said.

“Officers are confident that they located the bear involved in the attack. The bear succumbed to its wounds,” the service said.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy confirmed to CNN on Sunday the man was airlifted to a hospital in another province and did not provide further updates on his status.