Grizzly bear still on the loose after killing professor in Calgary and escaping traps

Cause of fatal attack remains unknown

University of Calgary professor David Lertzman, who was killed by a grizzly bear in Canada (Marnie Burkhart, Jazhart Studios Inc via the University of Calgary )

The hunt for a bear that killed a Canadian professor has been scaled back after traps failed to capture the female grizzly before she fled the area.

Almost three weeks after David Lertzman’s body was found in northwest Calgary, local government officials announced they removed baited traps as the bear was no longer in the area of the attack near Waiparous Creek.

The University of Calgary professor went missing on 4 May after going for a run near the Moss Trail, with Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokeswoman Ina Lucila saying he was killed by a mature female grizzly.

“Because there hasn’t been any bear activity detected in the past couple weeks, officers have removed the traps to mitigate the risk of inadvertently attracting other predators to the area,” she told The National Post.

While the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General’s office did not immediately respond to The Independent, Ms Lucila told the Post that action could still be taken against the bear as the investigation continued into the death.

“It is not known whether the female grizzly was accompanied by cub(s), but based on evidence, a single bear was involved in the attack,” Ms Lucila said told the Post in an email. “At this point, it does not appear to be a predatory attack.”

Mr Lertzman, who was 59 at the time of his death, taught environmental management and sustainable development as an assistant professor at the university’s Haskayne School of Business.

The school’s dean, Dr Jim Dewald, said Mr Lertzman had worked at university since 2000 and was a friend to all and a spiritual leader who was committed to their Indigenous connections.

His wife, Sarah Lertzman, posted to Facebook that her "beloved partner" was trail running as he does twice daily to maintain a deep connection to nature.

"He was attacked by a bear from behind and pushed off a very high embankment (300 meters) and was found near the river," Ms Lertzman wrote.

"I had searched for him myself for two hours early in the night and walked right past the point of attack and saw no sign of it. I was looking for a man in trouble and not for a scene of something that had happened," she added.

"I did not know the risk to myself in that moment, and I am truly blessed that nothing happened to me, as the officers reminded me repeatedly later in the night."

Ms Lucila told the Post that the trails north or Waiparous Village would remain closed while Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials continue to monitor the area for further signs of the bear.

She said the closure would be enforced and anyone entering the area could be fined, and that people should remain calm, back away and find somewhere to hide if encountering a bear.

While the grizzly may have posed a further danger to Ms Lertzman during the search or other visitors to the area, she had kind words for the bear that took her husband’s life.

"We felt the bear spirit transition, too. It was as if they were wrapped around each other," she wrote.