Prince George Free Press, March 21, 2014

Page 1

P3

FRIDAYMARCH 21

SPECIAL: We take a look at agencies who help feed our city

www.pgfreepress.com | newsline: 250.564.0005

PROTECTING FAMILY

Explosive device destroyed by police

Teresa MALLAM/Free Press Kirby MacInnes at the den behind her Progress Road property where trained therapy dog Loki lost his life March 9 during an attack from a bear protecting her three cubs.

Dog loses battle with mother bear Teresa Mallam arts@pgfreepress.com Loki will always be a hero to his owner Kirby MacInnes. The eight-year-old American pit bull, trained as a therapy dog, died after fighting with a female black bear that had chosen a wooded area behind his owners’ Progress Road home to winter with her cubs. Loki lost his life defending his territory and his family, says MacInnes. She understands, now, in the aftermath of her devoted dog’s death, that the “mama” bear he took on was just doing the same. “They were both protecting their families. I know that. Loki died doing what came instinctively to him. He was protecting us.” About 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, her husband Brian Borden was outside playing with their three dogs, Loki, Grimmus and Chara. All of them therapy dogs with their company Pawsitive Horizons. Suddenly Loki disappeared and was then heard in the bush, barking and barking. The next thing MacInnes recalls is her husband’s loud cries for help. By the time she ran outside and crossed the 100 yards or so

in deep snow to where Borden was standing, Loki had already been pulled into the bear’s den. Weighing over 80 pounds, Loki was physically strong, muscular and healthy but he was up against an angry animal several times his size. “We didn’t even know the bear was [hibernating] there. But Loki didn’t even hesitate when he came across her, he kept the bear from attacking our other two dogs and as far as I am concerned, he was protecting us too. I could hear him in there [the den] fighting it out, with that terrible noise and all that commotion, it went on for half an hour.” Her eyes fill with tears at the memory. There was nothing they could do to help Loki, she said. MacInnes said she now feared the worst. When the bear finally emerged from the den and took refuge in a nearby tall tree, Borden immediately went in and retrieved Loki – without even thinking of his own safety. But Loki was in bad shape, with severe injuries, especially to his head. As Borden drove Loki to the animal clinic in Prince George, MacInnes followed behind. As she got closer to the clinic, she heard what she thought was encouraging news: “They’re working on him right now,” Bor-

den told her. When she arrived, however, the hope Loki could survive his ordeal was gone. “In the end, he was comforting me, that’s the way Loki was,” said MacInnes, grateful she had time to say goodbye. “Another thing that comforted us was knowing that we had medical insurance for our dogs so we knew we could have done anything medically possible to try to save his life, we could have covered the cost of transporting him to Calgary for treatment – but he was beyond help.” When they got back to their property, conservation officers had arrived with travel kennels for the cubs and they were preparing to get the sow down from the tree. Borden takes up the story: “The bear had to be 45 feet up the tree and when she was tranquillized, she fell asleep in the tree. So we had to cut down the tree – with her in it. That’s the only way that the conservation officers could get to her.” Fortunately, the sow suffered only a few bruises in the fall, he said. At that moment, MacInnes said she turned her focus to the young cubs.

INSIDE TODAY: Voices........................................P10 Community...............................P15 Careers.....................................P24 Datebook.................................P26 Sign Up.....................................P27 Driveway..................................P28 Sports.......................................P33

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

$ Phone 250-563-6444 Toll Free 1-800-219-6327 910 Third Avenue, Prince George, BC Email polarrefrig@telus.net polarrefrig.ca

An “improvised explosive device,” that was found Tuesday night near a garbage can and light standard on University Way, has been destroyed. University Way was closed for several hours as Prince George RCMP waited for the explosive disposal unit to arrive from Vancouver. The device was destroyed at about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday. “Our response was necessary in this situation,” said Inspector Brad Anderson, Operations Officer for the Prince George Detachment. “Our first priority will always be the safety of our officers and the general public.” Police were alerted to the situation Tuesay night when they received reports of shots being fired between CN Centre and UNBC. Officers attended the area and located what they believed to be an improvised explosive device along University Way. From the time the device was discovered and the area secured, the general public, including those at the University of Northern B.C., were not at risk, say police. Near the time of the incident, a person on a bike was seen in the area of the improvised explosive device. Police are looking to identify this person.

1700 Receive up to

IN REBATES*

Best Heating & Air Conditioning

DO NOT PAY FOR 6 MONTHS OR financing for 36 mos. - 0% APR O.A.C. Limited time offer, call for details.

• Gas furnaces • A/C and heat pumps • Indoor air quality systems *on qualifying Lennox Home Comfort Systems, iHarmony Zoning System & Solar Panell rebates Proud to be your local Lennox Dealer for the past 30 years


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Prince George Free Press, March 21, 2014 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu