A man was flown to hospital after being attacked by a grizzly bear then shot by his hunting partner near Fernie Sunday, say officials at the B.C. Ministry of Environment.

The pair was hunting at around 9 a.m. when the bear attacked, according to a B.C. Ministry of Environment news release.

David Fairbanks, a spokesman for STARS air ambulance, said the man, 56, was not only mauled, but also shot by his hunting partner who was trying to neutralize the animal.

The incident took place in the bush about nine kilometres south of Fernie.

Conservation officers and other first responders rushed to the scene. The victim was driven out of the forested area on an ATV and flown by helicopter to a Calgary hospital in stable condition. The officers remained at the attack site to investigate the incident.

Grizzly encounters near Fernie are common, particularly in the nearby Flathead Valley, where there are more than 150 of the bears -- one per 15 square kilometres -- according to the city’s tourism website.

Sunday’s attack comes one year after a group of hunters in Fernie were attacked by a mother grizzly bear who became defensive of her cub. In that attack, the bear bore down on one hunter, pushing him about six meters down a steep trail near the peak of Proctor Mountain. The man used his bear spray and the grizzly retreated, but then went after the other hiker. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the bear at close range. Both men in that case were treated and released.

More recently, Calgary hunter Rick Cross was killed last month by a grizzly bear in Kananaskis Country when he came upon a female with her cub. It was ruled a defensive attack because of the cub and a freshly killed deer carcass in the area.

In May, a 59-year-old Washington state hunter was shot and killed during a bear hunt in northern B.C.

U.S. resident Shirley Cooper told the Longview Daily News that her husband, Jeff Cooper, had been hunting a grizzly bear with two guides at the time of his death. He had wounded the bear, then tracked the bear down the next morning with help from the guides. It was then that the bear charged and everyone in the party fired their guns. A lone bullet struck Cooper.

Dave Tyreman, a spokesman for North District RCMP, said at the time that police were investigating the man’s death, which happened about 112 kilometres south of Houston.

Mounties could not immediately be reached for an update on that investigation.

With files from Calgary Herald, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

mrobinson@vancouversun.com

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