B.C. camper killed by black bear; serves as spring warning
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 11:47 AM - A 27-year-old man was attacked and killed by a black bear over the weekend in British Columbia.
Daniel Ward Folland O'Connor was camping near Mackenzie in northern B.C., with his fiancee Jami Wallace when the attack took place. The B.C. Coroners Service says O'Connor was sleeping by the fire, while Wallace slept in their motor home.
On Sunday morning, Wallace woke to find O'Connor missing. O'Connor's father, Danny, told CBC there was a trail of blood leading away from the site, and that she drove in the couple's car to get help, as the area had no cell service.
The elder O'Connor rushed to the scene, and managed to sight the bear, standing over the victim's body, before returning to his vehicle to wait for B.C. RCMP and Conservation officers.
The two loves of my life, our happy little family <3
Posted by Jami Wallace on Monday, February 23, 2015
CBC reports the officers first shot a lone wolf that they encountered (Wallace had spotted one prowling near the campsite a few days prior and posted a video on Facebook).
The bear itself, a large male weighing an estimated 300 pounds, was later sighted and shot. The Coroners Service says it was believed to be the bear responsible for the attack.
"RCMP and Conservation Officers attended and confirmed that the injuries Mr. O'Connor suffered were consistent with a black bear attack," the Coroners Service says.
Barb McLintock, a spokeswoman for the Coronors Service, told CBC it was the time of year when bears are out and about, and likely hungry.
She said campers needed to be watchful, and properly dispose of food and garbage, although she did not say whether those played a factor in O'Connor's death.
SOURCE: B.C. Coronors Service | CBC News
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