Woman fatally mauled by bear in northern Alberta
Mounties say a female tree planter was mauled to death by a bear in northern Alberta.
RCMP told CTV News they received a call just after 3 p.m. on July 31 regarding an attack in a rural area northwest of Swan Hills.
The 26-year-old woman was planting trees in the remote spot when she was attacked by what witnesses described to police as a black bear.
Mounties say a co-worker scared the bear off before calling for help.
The woman was taken by helicopter from the site to the Swan Hills airport but was pronounced dead soon after landing, according to police.
Investigators with Alberta Fish and Wildlife are also looking into the incident.
A statement by Alberta's Justice and Solicitor General office says Fish and Wildlife officers set up a trail camera and traps in the area and took samples from the victim's clothing for analysis to create a DNA profile of the bear.
Three black bears near the site of the attack were located by officers, who were awaiting DNA results to confirm if one of the animals was responsible for the attack.
According to Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, an RCMP spokesperson, the woman was from Peers, Alta., but the family did not want her name released.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.