FERNIE - Conservation officers in Fernie are searching for a wounded mother grizzly bear after two men were attacked Wednesday morning on the ridge of Proctor Mountain.

Sgt. Joe Caravetta, a B.C. conservation officer, said two men in their mid-30s from Fernie were walking on a popular hiking and mountain biking trail between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. when they encountered a sow and her cub.

He said the sow became “very defensive” of her cub and attacked one of the men and pushed him about six metres down the steep trail near the peak of the mountain.

The man used his bear spray and the grizzly retreated, said Caravetta. The sow then went after the other hiker and knocked him to the ground before chewing on his arms and upper body.

Caravetta said the hiker pulled out his gun and shot the bear at close range. The wounded animal ran away with her cub. The men administered their own first-aid from supplies they were carrying in their packs.

Limping with wounds to their legs, arms and bodies, the two men made their way back down the mountain and to Elk Valley Hospital.

One man was treated at Elk Valley and released, while the other was taken to Lethbridge Hospital in Alberta with non-life-threatening injuries.

Conservation officers don’t know how badly hurt the bear is or whether it died, but will try and locate the bear today. Caravetta said they may have to kill the bear if it is in pain.

“If it’s suffering we will put it out of its misery. We don’t want an animal to suffer,” he said.

The attack was defensive and not predatory, said Caravetta, adding that the hikers were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Fairy Creek recreation trail has been closed as a precaution while conservation officers investigate.

Although grizzly bear attacks are rare in B.C., there have been some cases of severe maulings in the province in recent years.

Two years ago, 51-year-old John Johnson was picking salmonberries near Bella Bella on B.C.’s central coast when he was attacked by a mother grizzly protecting her two cubs. He survived but suffered a broken arm, cuts and puncture wounds in the attack. He also needed skin grafts on his head.

Since 2000, three people have died as a result of bear attacks in B.C. The latest was in the summer of 2011 when 72-year-old Bernice Adolph was mauled by a black bear near Lillooet.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com