A comparison of reports of fatal grizzly and black bear attacks in Canada

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine if there has been an increase in the number of fatalities caused by grizzly and black bear attacks in Canada from 1990 to 2023, as well as to determine if the attacks were predatory or defensive in nature. The data used in this study was acquired from various news sources in Canada as well as the United States to gain a better understanding of the fatalities and events leading up to the attack. The information was separated into tables, and they were used to establish the number of fatalities caused by grizzly and black bears, province, or territory the age and gender of the victims, and the month which the attacks occurred in. Overall, the number of fatalities has remained relatively similar over the years, there was a decrease in fatalities cause by black bears in 2010 to 2019. During the years from 2020 to 2023, almost half the number of fatalities as previous decades, likely because more people were spending time outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many reports lacked specific information about the attacks and events leading up to the encounters, and therefore it was difficult to determine if the attacks were predatory or defensive in nature.