A fur trapper in Canada has shot dead a charging grizzly bear, only to find that the same bear had already killed his partner and baby daughter.
Norwegian-born Gjermund Roesholt was on his way back from checking his traps in the Yukon Territory on Tuesday when he encountered the bear.
He said he was forced to shoot the bear, which was aggressive and charging at him, only a hundred metres from the cabin he shared with partner, Canadian Valerie Theoret, and their 10-month-old baby Adele.
When he approached the cabin, however, he found Theoret and Adele’s bodies, apparently mauled to death by the same bear. Authorities say it’s likely that the pair were out on a walk sometime between 10am and 3pm that day when they crossed paths with the bear, and were unable to escape in time.
Upon finding their bodies, Roesholt sent up an emergency signal alert, which police received at 3:45pm local time.
Roesholt and 37-year-old Theoret had recently relocated to the remote region, taking advantage of Theoret’s maternity leave to permanently live the outdoor lifestyle they loved.
Friends say the pair were “experienced bush people” who’d been trapping in the area, 800km east of Anchorage, Alaska, for at least three years.
Though fatal grizzly bear attacks are considered rare, this is the fourth deadly attack in North America this year, after two fatal maulings in Alaska and one in Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park.
