A grizzly bear that severely mauled a Campbell River man on Wednesday was acting in a defensive nature and will not be destroyed, according to the Ministry of Environment.
The engineer in his 30s was attacked by a bear while working at a logging camp at Draney Bay, a remote area about 100 kilometres north of Port Hardy.
Friends have identified the husband and father on social media as Ryan Arsenault.
Arsenault’s employer Capacity Forest Management Ltd. told CTV News he had surgery on Thursday and was scheduled for another procedure on Friday.
He will undergo extensive rehab to deal with multiple fractures and significant muscle damage to his arm and leg, the company’s president, Corby Lamb, says.
The engineer’s family is with him at a Victoria hospital.
A GoFundMe page set up to help with Arsenault's recovery had raised more than $3,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
Employees with the company, including crew members who witnessed the attack, are going through crisis counselling and are off work for the time being.
Lamb says their return to the woods is up to them.
The ministry says a search for the bear will not happen.
