‘Bear Attack Bad’: Last Message Sent by Couple Fatally Mauled by Grizzly

A relative of the couple killed in a bear attack in Canada's Banff National Park last week said Wednesday that they sent an SOS message to him moments before their death, clearly expecting the worst.

Colin Inglis told Global News that his nephew Doug Inglis and his wife, Jenny Gusse, both 62, were killed by the grizzly, along with their dog, last Friday, Sept. 29.

Inglis initially received a message from his nephew's Garmin inReach device at 4:52 p.m. the day of the attack, saying they were delayed coming back from a week-long trip, but that all was OK.

Just over three hours later, Inglis received a very different message.

“I got an actual phone call from Garmin saying that the SOS had been activated and that somebody had entered into the inReach (a message) that said, ‘Bear attack bad,”’ he told the Guardian.

While Parks Canada sent a team out to search for the couple, weather conditions meant they had to travel through Banff by foot and were only able to reach them in the early hours of Saturday.

Rangers found a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behavior nearby and they euthanized it.

Inglis added to other reports that the pair were responsible hikers and campers who knew bear protocol, adding that they would have sat down to read once they had set up camp for the night.

“We believe that’s what they were doing,” Inglis continued. He said that their dog, Tris, would have been in the tent with them.

Responding rangers reportedly found the couple outside the tent, which had been crushed with their e-readers inside. At least one can of bear spray had been deployed.

“There was a struggle, and the struggle didn’t stay in one place. In the end, both bodies were back together,” said Inglis.

“They were reconnected," he added. "That’s who they were. They were together in life, always.”