British Columbia

Man mauled by grizzly bear near Creston, B.C.

Conservation officers are investigating the cause of a grizzly bear attack on a man camped alongside the Kootenay River Saturday morning.

Victim was camped alongside Kootenay River when animal attacked

A man was attacked by a grizzly bear Saturday morning while camping alongside the Kootenay River, southwest of Creston, B.C. (Dan Bowring/CBC)

A man is in hospital after he was attacked by a grizzly bear while camping southwest of Creston, B.C.

The kayaker was camped alongside the Kootenay River when the bear mauled him at around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, said Joe Caravetta, an inspector with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

The camper, who is in his mid-20s, managed to escape and call 911.

Caravetta said the victim was taken by ambulance to the Creston hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to his head, arms and legs.

According to Caravetta, the injured man was able to speak with conservation officers when they met him at the hospital.

The conservation service has sent four officers to the area to monitor the area and determine the cause of the attack.

With files from The Canadian Press