Mom Dies After Black Bear Attacked Her [Family Is Trained and Experienced in Wilderness]

Mom, Stephanie Blais, was attacked and killed by a black bear in Canada. Her father, Hubert Esquirol, told a local news station that she, her husband, and two children are staying in a remote cabin. 

On August 20, Esquirol was speaking with his daughter over the phone to talk about a broken water pump outside of the Saskatchewan cabin the family is staying in, the CTV News reported. Blais was with her husband, Curtis, and their nine and two-year-old children visiting Mckie Lake at that time. 

Blais ordered her nine-year-old son, who was beside her, to go to the house. She asked him to get the satellite phone antennae so that she could get a better connection and signal. Then, Esquirol heard something like a gurgling noise coming from Blais's end of the phone.

See also: Florida Father Dies of Coronavirus Leaving Children Orphans [Mom Died of Cancer] 

Pepper-sprayed and shot the bear twice

Esquirol told the outlet that he called his daughter's name, but there was no response. Four minutes later, he called back and let it ring but still got no answer. Curtis called him seven minutes later and explained that a bear had attacked his wife. He said that he pepper-sprayed the bear and shot it twice before giving Blais a CPR. However, by the time he did, his wife already had no pulse. 

The family had previous training and experience in the wilderness based on a GoFundMe page. The page wrote that an older male bear did the "unprovoked and surprise predatory attack."

A tribute wrote that Blais had a zeal for life next to no one else. It wrote that she always talked about how blessed she is to be able to be at home and raise her children showing how loving and passionate she is about motherhood. 

(Photo : GoFundMe)

See also: Arizona Teen's Stepfather Charged with Murder Nearly 20 Years After She Disappeared

It also wrote how free-spirited Blais was and how she loved the earth. She shared her joy, passion, love, compassion, wisdom, and selflessness with the people who crossed her path. It wrote that donations will be used for Blais' children's college tuition. It also said that the donations would allow self-employed Curtis the "gift of time and options." As of writing, the page has already raised $80,000. 

The CTV News reported that this bear attack incident is the first in Saskatchewan since 1983. 

Esquirol and Curtis are helping the children through the traumatic experience. Esquirol told the outlet that while the kids look okay from the outside, he believes that it has a lifetime effect. 

See also: California Woman Dies Tragically on the Same Day She Gives Birth to Miracle Baby

What to do in case of a beark attack

The US National Park Service has guidelines on what to do in case of a bear attack. When encountering a brown bear, you should lay flat on the floor on your stomach and place your hands behind the neck. The NPS said that you should never attempt to fight back. 

When you happen to encounter a black bear, you should run to a secure place or kick the animal in the face if it attacks you.