Dublin-born engineer killed by bear in Canada
A Dublin-born engineer has died following a bear attack in Canada.
According to the Irish Independent, Lorna Weafer died on Wednesday after she was attacked by a large male black bear while working on an oil field in Alberta.
The 36-year-old engineer emigrated to Canada with her parents more than 30 years ago. Her mother Margaret is from Drimnagh, while her father Frank is from Finglas. They still live in Canada.
The Canadian Press said around seven people were working in the area at the time when the incident happened at the Suncor oil field, about 25 miles north of Lorna's home in Fort McMurray.
The area is described as a "wilderness".
Mike Ewald, an investigator with Alberta Fish and Wildlife, said Weafer’s co-workers tried to scare the bear off using fire extinguishers, a water cannon and air horn. He said employees told him the bear would shy off for a bit, but kept coming back – eventually killing Ms Weafer in an attack that lasted about an hour.
Based on the preliminary investigation, Ewald said this appears to be a predatory bear attack, noting there was nothing around that would have attracted the bear and that the attack was not provoked “in any way”.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers said the bear was mature and was later tracked down and killed by officers.
* Picture is from Lorna's facebook page.
