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A “bear incident” near a remote northern airstrip in Saskatchewan on Friday resulted in the death of a 25-year-old man, the province’s Ministry of Community Safety confirmed Monday.
The ministry said the investigation is in its early stages and released no more information. Saskatchewan RCMP said its Wollaston Lake detachment received a call about a sudden death at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The ministry confirmed the death happened at Points North, which is located about 700 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
Points North includes a landing strip next to a body of water where floatplanes can land. The airstrip facilitates air freight service and trucking for northern Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The bear was euthanized on scene and taken to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon for a necropsy.
The ministry reminded people to keep their distance if they encounter a bear and refrain from trying to scare the animal. People are further advised to detour widely around the bear and calmly back away. People should speak in low tones and avoid looking directly at the animal.
The Conservation Officer Service and the Wildlife Human Attack Response Team are investigating and working with the RCMP and the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
People are advised to call 911 if they encounter a bear. They are also advised to call the poachers hotline at 1-800-667-7561.
On Friday morning, the province issued a reminder that bears are emerging from their dens with the arrival of spring and to take precautions.
The incident is the fourth known fatality resulting from a bear encounter in the province’s history.
The last such death happened in 2020 when Stephanie Blais, 44, was killed near her family’s cabin north of Buffalo Narrows.
The first known bear mauling deaths in the province happened when two men were killed in separate incidents near Nipawin Provincial Park in 1983.
In 2005, 22-year-old student Kenton Carnegie was killed near Points North in what was believed to be a rare fatal attack by wolves.