Area That Rarely Sees Fatal Bear Attacks Logs 2 More

A retired Saskatchewan couple spending time at their beloved northern cabin were killed by a black bear. Authorities say Jay and Deb MacDonald died in mid-July at McTavish Lake, a remote fly-in spot about 90 miles north of La Ronge that their family described as "sacred" to them. The CBC reports that after family members were unable to reach them, the police were called. Last Wednesday, "they found Jay lying by the lakeshore dead. And they couldn't find Debbie so they put off the search for that day," Deb MacDonald's brother tells the CBC. He says her body was found the following day in the woods near the couple's cabin.

Conservation officers tracked down and euthanized the bear believed to be responsible, which has been sent to a veterinary college in Saskatoon for examination. Black bears are the only bear species native to the area, notes the StarPhoenix, where fatal bear attacks rarely occur. But this incident marks northern Saskatchewan's second fatal bear attack in three months, following the May death of a worker at a uranium exploration camp. His death was just the fourth fatal bear attack on record in the province.