Couple and their dog mauled to death in grizzly bear attack; chilling, final SOS message revealed

A Canadian couple and their dog were mauled to death by a grizzly bear. The pair were able to send a harrowing final SOS message to family members before being killed in the grisly attack.

Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse, both 62, went on a seven-day hiking trek inside Alberta's popular Banff National Park last week. The couple were "highly experienced" hikers who had been in the area "many times." However, tragedy struck when they were victims of a vicious bear attack.

Last Friday afternoon, Inglis notified his uncle that they hadn't reached their planned camping destination and would instead bunker down for the night near the Red Deer River in the Panther Valley, west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch in Banff National Park.

Colin Inglis, the uncle of Doug, received a chilling, three-word SOS message around 8:15 p.m. on Friday.

The uncle told the Calgary Herald, "I got a call from their Garmin (inReach device) that said, ‘Bear attack bad.'"

"The alarm bells were going off, 'This is not good' – that means there’d been some engagement," Inglis said. "You’re completely helpless to know what’s going on."

The dire message was also automatically sent to Parks Canada officials.

The uncle said a helicopter was deployed for the search and rescue mission, but had to turn back because of overcast conditions. Around 10:30 p.m., an on-the-ground response team was dispatched. However, the search team didn't reach the couple's campsite until nearly 2 a.m. The search and rescue team discovered a gruesome scene.

The recovery team found the mauled and lifeless bodies of Inglis, Gusse, and their 7-year-old border collie named Tris.

Parks Canada officials believe the couple were inside their tent reading when they were attacked by the grizzly bear.

Parks officials told Inglis that the couple's tent was "crushed and their e-readers were open."

Inglis believes that his nephew was outside the tent trying to fend off the bear while Jenny was in the tent sending the desperate SOS message.

According to the New York Post, "The couple — a research scientist and a lab technician at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Centre — appeared to have tried to fight off the bear with bear spray, but the animal was relentless."

Colin said, "One can of bear spray had been fully discharged, but this bear was not to be deterred."

The response team located the grizzly bear suspected of killing the couple and were forced to shoot the aggressive animal.

Colin said, "In their words, the bear was intent on killing them."

Parks Canada revealed on Tuesday that the bear was a 25-year-old grizzly in "fair body condition" with poor teeth and less body fat than usual for this time of year. Experts believe the bear was predatory because it was trying to fatten up ahead of hibernation in the winter.

Investigators will perform an autopsy on the grizzly to determine if it is the same animal that killed the couple.

Inglis said the couple "did everything right, but bad things happen."

The pair were said to be looking forward to retiring next year so they would have more time to explore the great outdoors.

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