Dawson, B.C.
Critical condition
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
The two Filipino-Canadian mothers who tried to protect their family and each other from a “rare predatory bear attack” in Dawson Creek, B.C. on Monday are still in critical condition, their families reported.
Leosette “Cheng” Canoy and her friend, Analyn Shurtliff Bartolome, were critically injured by a male black bear which attacked them while they were walking near the Mountain Nordic Ski Association trails, about six kilometres outside the city of Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C.trail last Monday, October 3.
Canoy’s niece, Wenneli Canoy, who was with the group but wasn’t injured, said her aunt was attacked when she rushed to the aid of her friend.
Bartolome’s teenage son was the first one attacked by the bear and he was also injured trying to fend off the the charging animal. However, he and Canoy’s niece were eventually able to reach safety and call 911.
Canoy was airlifted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, 600 kilometers away, and Bartolome was flown to Vancouver and remains in critical condition at an ICU.
Initial reports said that Canoy has had more than six hours of surgery for the injuries she received to her arms, head, back, and ear while Bartolome had the risk of losing her left arm and suffered from lacerations on her body and scalp.
“She’s my gift from God. It’s horrific to see my wife like that. The bear chewed her up bad,” Canoy’s husband Gary Hansen told cbc.ca.
Canoy, who was reportedly off the ventilator yesterday and was talking, works with disabled adults and emigrated to Canada from the Philippines about 15 years ago.
Gary said his wife fell in love with the Canadian outdoors.
Two RCMP officers in an all-terrain vehicle found the two women lying in the bush with life-threatening injuries.
Staff Sgt. Damon Werrell, detachment commander of the Dawson Creek RCMP, said the officers shot and killed a large bear nearby that appeared to be “guarding the victims,” cbc.ca also reported.
Ellie Lamb, the director of community outreach for the Get Bear Smart Society, told the media that the bear’s reported behaviour indicates it was treating them as food.
She said the officers were left with no option but to kill the bear.
The Conservation Officer Service has also issued a reminder to anyone visiting wildlife areas with the potential for bear encounters to carry bear spray, take along noise-making devices and watch for signs of bears in the area.
Canoy’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help defray expenses for her medical treatment.
One may visit this link to donate HELP FOR CHENG, GARY & FAMILY AFTER BEAR ATTACKED, organized by Wennali Canoy.