A couple killed by a grizzly bear in Banff National Park in 2023 sent a final message via a satellite communicator that simply said: "Bear attack bad." Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, and their border collie Tris were found dead after the attack.
The message was sent over a Garmin inReach satellite communicator and was received along with an SOS signal triggered by holding the device's emergency button for three seconds, according to NPR.
Final Moments and Discovery
Doug's uncle, Colin Inglis, said one of them had entered the text into the inReach manually. He also said Parks Canada told him that when their bodies were found, "Jenny and Doug were close by each other not far from the tent in their stocking feet." He noted this was unusual as it was wet outside.
"Their boots and booties were in the tent, which suggests that something happened that one or both of them exited the tent," he added.
Experienced Hikers
The couple were veteran hikers who knew Banff's Red Deer Valley well. "They hiked in this area several times a year on an extended trip," Inglis said. "They'd been in this area in the spring." They were agricultural research laboratory workers and meticulous planners.
"Doug and Jenny were highly experienced. They did everything right," Colin said. "This is an unusual circumstance — they ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time."
On the day of the attack, the pair told Colin they had hit a small delay but later said they made it to camp and were cooking just before 5pm. Parks Canada said the camp was in a spot with no active bear warnings or area closures in place. The agency received the same inReach message alerting them to a bear attack at approximately 8pm.
Attack and Aftermath
The rescue team took hours to reach the site as a helicopter was ruled out due to bad weather. Parks Canada said the area is very remote and there were no witnesses. "We will never know the full details of what led to the attack and will not speculate," it said.
The response team arrived after 1am to find the couple dead. They also spotted the bear, which "displayed aggressive behavior, and proceeded to charge towards the response team," Parks Canada said. The bear was shot and killed. A necropsy found it was a "non-lactating older female" of more than 25 years old with bad teeth and "less than normal body fat for this time of year." The bear wasn't tagged or wearing a collar.
Parks Canada said this was the first grizzly bear caused fatality recorded in Banff National Park in decades. A Wildlife Human Attack Response Team found a bear-proof food bag hanging in a tree and a used can of bear spray at the campsite. The park said attacks are rare: over the last 10 years, there have been three recorded non-fatal, contact encounters with grizzly bears in the park.
Colin Inglis said of the couple: "These were real special human beings. I've known Doug since the day he was born. He is more like a little brother than a nephew." He added: "They have been together almost entirely since they went to university. They've been a team, completely, in all aspects of their lives, whether it be work, at home, gardening, or canoeing or hiking."
