Alberta Fish & Wildlife says a Calling Lake man’s allegation that he was attacked by a bear late last Friday is unfounded.
“Fish and Wildlife officers have concluded their investigation, removed the area closure and will not be conducting any trapping efforts in the area,” said Darcy Boucher, Fish & Wildlife inspector for the region.
The man who purported to be the bear attack victim was Justin Gambler, who had been quadding near Calling Lake on May 16.
A STARS air ambulance spokesperson confirmed to the Advocate that a person was airlifted from the Calling Lake area late Friday night.
Boucher said that man was Justin Gambler and that he was injured; however, Boucher would not comment on what could have been the cause of Gambler’s injuries.
“In time, I’m sure things will be much clearer,” said Boucher.
He would not say whether RCMP are now investigating. Calls to the RCMP were not returned as of press time, nor was the Advocate able to reach Gambler.
Boucher noted that while the alleged attack reportedly took place late last Friday evening, Fish & Wildlife was not informed until Saturday afternoon.
“The unfortunate part is we did not get this call until 1:30 (on Saturday) … and we never made contact with the injured party ‘til (Sunday) morning,” said Boucher.
“There is protocol that is followed when there is a bear/human contact,” he said. “Basically, we need to confirm the individual bear to the contact with the person.”
That evidence was lacking in this case, said Boucher.
Boucher said regardless of the outcome of this investigation, people should educate themselves on bear safety. Tips can be found at esrd.alberta.ca/recreation-public-use/alberta-bear-smart/.
With files from Bromley Chamberlain.
