Couple Mauled by Bear Sent Distressing Text Message Before Attack

A couple in Canada sent a distressing text message to a family member before being attacked and killed by a grizzly bear.

Doug Inglis, 62, and Jenny Gusse, 62, were visiting Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, when they were attacked by a wild bear on Sept. 29.

While hiking, Doug and Jenny had been sending Doug’s uncle, Colin Inglis, daily updates about their Rocky Mountains travels via a GPS system.

Prior to the bear attack on Sept. 29, Colin received a text from the couple revealing they had set up camp somewhere other than their expected location. Later in the evening, he received an alarming text message from the couple which simply read: “Bear attack … bad.”

Colin revealed that either Doug or Jenny had gone off to fight the bear while the other sent him the SOS text from their tent.

“There was a struggle and the struggle didn’t stay in one place. One can of bear spray had been fully discharged but this bear was not to be deterred,” Colin added.

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The same day, the Parks Canada Agency received an alert of a grizzly bear attack at the Red Deer River Valley, located just west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, at around 8PM local time.

Calgary Head reports that due to poor weather conditions, rescuers weren’t able to reach the traveling couple until early Saturday (Sept. 30) morning, which is when they discovered Doug and Jenny as well as their dog mauled to death.

A response team later came across the bear that had attacked the couple and shot it dead. Officials also closed off the area surrounding the attack.

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Following the attack, the Banff National Park released a statement via Facebook.

“This is a tragic incident, and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” it read.

According to Colin, Doug and Jenny were “a couple that loved each other and loved the outdoors.”

“They were highly, highly experienced in being out back, whether it be serious treks or canoeing, whitewater canoeing in the North country,” he shared, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.