Mauling victim had no bear deterrents

A 28-year-old man who was fatally mauled by a grizzly bear two years ago was not carrying any type of animal deterrent, such as bear spray, air horns or bangers, according to a report issued by the chief coroner Thursday.

A 28-year-old man who was fatally mauled by a grizzly bear two years ago was not carrying any type of animal deterrent, such as bear spray, air horns or bangers, according to a report issued by the chief coroner Thursday.

Jean-Francois Page, a former employee of Aurora Geosciences Ltd., was staking mining claims in the area between False Canyon and Weasel Lake near Ross River in April 2006 when the mauling occurred, says the report.

The cause of death was determined to be accidental, as a result of multiple injuries consistent with bear mauling. The injuries were such that they would have rapidly proved fatal, says the report.

On April 27, 2006, Page, a colleague, Larry Brault, and a third man, Heiko Mueller, who worked for Klondike Star Mineral Corp., travelled to Ross River by truck. The trio then ventured to the claim site by Trans North Helicopter the next day.

The helicopter dropped Page first, then dropped off the other two men approximately three kilometres away from Page.

At approximately 12:45 p.m., Mueller had a call from Brault stating Page wanted the helicopter to transport him across the creek, says the report.

However, the chopper had already returned to Ross River.

At approximately 1 p.m., Brault heard Page on the radio saying he had an “encounter.“ Brault heard Page say, “He is charging.“

Brault then heard him saying “All right” three or four times, as if he were trying to calm the bear, according to the report. Brault then heard a scream and the radio went silent.

Brault called Mueller on the radio and Mueller contacted the hangar by satellite phone. He left a message saying Page was in trouble and that the helicopter should go to the work site as soon as possible.

Mueller was picked up by helicopter and a search began for Page. As the search continued, Brault noticed a bear crossing the flag line and going into a den. The helicopter then returned to Ross River due to low fuel.

The RCMP and a conservation officer continued the search by helicopter and, as they flew over the den, the grizzly was observed acting in an agitated manner. The bear was coaxed out of the den and shot.

The search continued on foot where they found Page’s body, partially buried, but not consumed.

The distance from the den to where the victim was found was 19.2 metres south, says the report. It is believed the mauling occurred at this site.

The investigation revealed that Page had received bear safety training as part of the Yukon Chamber of Mines’ prospecting course. However, no bear bangers or bear spray were found on the deceased at the scene.

Results of the investigation indicated that Aurora Geosciences was under the impression the bear spray they used did not work at that day’s temperature.

Although Environment Canada does not keep temperatures for Ross River, the temperatures that day for the nearby community of Faro were listed as a high of 3.6 C and a low of -0.6.

Bear spray manufacturers indicate that bear spray works in temperatures as low as -17.8. For temperatures lower than this, the bear spray can be carried in a chest holster.

Aurora Geosciences had indicated it did not expect bears to be out of hibernation at that time of year. But bear experts say one can encounter a bear at any time of the year, as some bears do not hibernate.

The report includes three recommendations for Aurora Geosciences to prevent future incidents of this kind.

The recommendations include:

- ensuring workers receive training prior to commencing field work on recognizing bear den habitat;

- providing animal deterrents such as bear spray, air horns and bangers; and

- considering scheduling flights over survey and claim lines prior to the deployment of crew to access potential hazards including bear dens and animal movement.

“Essentially, those recommendations are fine,“ Carl Schulze, president of the mines chamber, said Thursday.

“They are probably employed anyway with most people in the field.“

Schulze noted that employees who work in the wilderness are trained in an official safety course and by watching bear videos.

“There are weekly field meetings and bears are usually on the agenda,“ he added.

But Schulze described the third recommendation as somewhat “nebulous” and “spurious” due to the fact that not all field projects involve the use of helicopters.

Some mining sites are road-accessible, he said, and due to the expense of helicopter use, such projects would rely on road transportation.

“The least you’ll pay for a helicopter is $1,200 an hour,“ he said.

Even with a helicopter, said Schulze, a bear den would be hard to spot from the air.

Regarding the third recommendation, Schulze echoed Aurora Geosciences’ impression that bear spray is “a lot less effective around the freezing point.“

“Bear spray doesn’t work very well below 0 C,“ said Schulze, although he said he always carries it with him while working in the bush.

Schulze said he would not recommend using firearms because of their weight, bulk, and the risk involved.

“There wasn’t too much that poor fellow could have done,“ Schulze said. He said such an attack is “pretty unusual” and was the first fatal mauling in the Yukon in a long time.

“The fly-overs are probably not realistic,“ Gary Vivian, president of Aurora Geosciences, said in an interview this morning in response to the third recommendation.

Vivan said more helicopter use would be very costly for clients, and that finding bear dens would be difficult in areas where there is tree cover.

Vivian also pointed out that even if a flyover is conducted, it would have no effect on the area hours later when workers are present.

“It’s an uncontrolled environment,“ he noted.

In May 2007, Aurora Geosciences was charged with negligence in relation to the incident. The charges were:

- failing to ensure that equipment and processes under the employer’s control were safe and without risks to health;

- failing to ensure that work procedures were adopted and used that will prevent or reduce the risk of occupational illness or injury;

- failing to ensure that workers were given necessary instruction and training and were adequately supervised, taking into account the nature of the work;

- failing to ensure that workers were made aware of hazards in the work; and

- the supervisor failed to ensure that the worker uses or wears the equipment, protective devices required under the relevant act, or by the nature of the work.

However, the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board ultimately stayed all of the charges earlier this year. Schulze said Aurora Geosciences does take a lot of care in ensuring its employees’ safety.

“The situation was very unusual,“ he said, referring to the death of Page, who is survived by family members in Quebec.

“As far as I’m concerned, we do everything possible to make employees safe,“ Vivian said.

He said he cannot respond to why Page was not carrying bear spray nor another type of animal deterrent due to the possibility of further court proceedings.

“They have a year to bring the charges back on the table,“ he noted.