A heartbreaking message was the last communication received from Canadian couple Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, who tragically lost their lives in a grizzly bear attack while camping in Banff National Park. Their faithful canine companion also perished in the attack, despite their efforts to use bear spray to deter the hungry bear.
Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, experienced hikers, had meticulously shared their seven-day hiking itinerary with Inglis’ uncle, Colin Inglis. They maintained contact with him through a satellite communication device during their adventure. Colin shared with the Calgary Herald that on Friday afternoon, they informed him of a delay in reaching their planned campsite, opting instead to spend the night near the Red Deer River in Panther Valley.
However, several hours later, Colin received a distressing SOS message, indicating a serious situation. He recounted, “I got a call from their Garmin (inReach device) that said, ‘Bad bear attack.’ The alarm bells were ringing, signifying something was terribly wrong. You are completely helpless in such a situation.”
A helicopter was dispatched for their rescue but had to turn back due to cloudy conditions. A field response team was then sent, reaching Inglis and Gusse via ATVs around 10:30 p.m. The hike to their campsite took three hours, and it was nearly 2 a.m. when they arrived, finding the lifeless bodies of Inglis and Gusse along with their 7-year-old border collie.
Both Inglis and Gusse, who worked as a research scientist and lab technician at the Agricultural and Agri-Food Research Center, had apparently tried to fend off the bear using bear spray, but the animal was relentless. Their tent was damaged, and their e-readers were found open. Authorities believe the couple was attacked while inside their tent.
Upon reaching the scene, the rescue team encountered what was believed to be the same aggressive bear responsible for the couple’s deaths. The bear still displayed signs of hostility, forcing the team to euthanize it to protect themselves. In Colin’s words, “The bear intended to kill them.”
The bear, a 25-year-old female in fair physical condition but with insufficient weight for this time of year, will undergo an autopsy to confirm its identity as the one that attacked Inglis and Gusse. The couple, who met in college and had been together ever since, tragically became the victims of the first grizzly bear attack in Banff National Park in decades. However, in 2021, two separate attacks in the neighboring Waiparous and Water Valley regions had claimed two lives.
Read More:
