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Family doctor mauled by black bear in Ontario woods

Police and wildlife officials were on the hunt for a wounded black bear after a woman was mauled to death and her husband injured as he was forced to use a Swiss Army knife to keep the animal from dragging her into northern Ontario bush.

Campers have been ordered out of the back country of Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park, about 80 kilometres north of Chapleau, Ont., as conservation officers equipped with a helicopter and a dog team scour the area.
Natural Resources officials said Marc Jordan of Cambridge, Ont., was armed with only a Swiss Army knife as he fought desperately to keep the predatory animal from dragging his fatally mauled wife, Dr. Jacqueline Perry, into the brush.

"He fought back as hard as he could with the weapon he had at hand," Jolanta Kowalski of the Ministry of Natural Resources said Wednesday. "But the bear was relentless in wanting to take her into the bush."
Jordan, 30, suffered lacerations while slashing the bear at least five times with the knife, police said. The computer specialist was flown to a hospital in Sudbury, Ont., where he was expected to require surgery. He was listed in serious but stable condition.

Perry, 30, was a family physician at a Cambridge hospital. Staff at the Grandview Medical Centre were devastated after hearing of Tuesday's attack, said the centre's lead physician, Dr. Jeff Main.

"Jacqueline represented vitality and youthfulness," Main said. "It's like losing a child. She was the youngest partner here."

Jordan's mother, Rosalind Jordan, said he suffered multiple lacerations, puncture wounds and severed nerves.

"They loved hiking, they loved the outdoors. They were also dedicated to the well-being of their community," she said.

Jordan and Perry were on a two-week holiday, camping and kayaking alone at a remote campsite when a black bear hunting for food attacked, said provincial police Const. Karen Farand.

In the frantic attempt to save his wife, the injured Jordan carried her to their kayak and began to paddle to the nearest campsite, Farand said.

He yelled for help and Vytas Abrutis, 54, and his 30-year-old son Rytis from Philadelphia, were camping nearby and went to help.

"When I ... saw his dead wife, I just couldn't believe it," said Rytis Abrutis.

Abrutis was so shaken he and his father have decided to leave the campground early.

"I can't deal with this," he said. "I hate bears. I've always hated them. They should all be shot. When it comes to human safety, there's no use for bears and sharks or animals like that."

Jordan put his wife into their boat, which carried them all off in search of help.

About a kilometre away, they spotted and flagged down another boat, which carried a doctor from North Carolina and an off-duty police officer.

The doctor tried to treat Perry while the boat continued on to the park's main office, about 10 kilometres away.

But by then Perry had succumbed to her injuries "and was obviously dead," said Farand.

"I've lived here all my life and this is a first for me," said Farand. "I can't even imagine what (Perry and Jordan) went through."

Farand said the area is home to many black bears and has more than its usual share of bear sightings this year because it hasn't been a good season for blueberries.

Keith Scott, a bear expert with the Ministry of Natural Resources, said such attacks are "very rare."

"There's only been four fatalities in Ontario through black bears dating back to about 1978," he said.

"This one in this particular case, it's early in the investigation, but it appears to be a predatory-type bear. These bears have learned to and often prey on humans."

The attack is just the latest in what has been a busy season for bear attacks across Canada.

Perry's death is the 10th fatal bear attack in Ontario in the last 100 years.

The most recent incident occurred in 1992, when a male geologist was killed by a bear in the Cochrane area.
Perry's death was the talk of the town Wednesday in Chapleau, where many residents go to Missinaibi to fish and view historic aboriginal rock paintings.

Coun. Bud Swanson said the attack comes at a time when locals are still seeing nuisance bears coming into town in search of food.

Conservation groups have renewed their call for a return of the spring black bear hunt following the attack.
Officials with the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance and the Canadian Outdoor Heritage Alliance argue that the spring hunt would help manage the province's burgeoning number of black bears.

NOSA president John Kaplanis said that less hunting pressure means bears are learning that they no longer need to fear people.

"These unhunted predators move to the top of the food chain, become more aggressive in search of food and are less fearful of man," Kaplanis said.

COHA chairman Bob McQuay agreed with Kaplanis, stating that "bears no longer fear humans and consider us just part of their wilderness buffet."

Kowalski was reluctant to talk about the ministry's bear management policy on Wednesday.

"(With one woman dead and a man in hospital) today is not the day to talk about this," she said.

© 2005 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.