Father of 2020 Saskatchewan bear attack victim ‘heartbroken’ over latest fatal encounter

“It’s indeed a tragedy to lose such a young person, but usually these events are followed by an investigation, and the investigation might shed more light on this incident.”

In 2020, Esquirol’s 44-year-old daughter Stephanie Blais was speaking on a satellite phone with him while the family was at their cabin at McKie Lake, near Buffalo Narrows, in late August.

“She called me to tell me that the water line hadn’t been working and that her husband had fixed it. She then told her son, Eli, to run inside and grab an antenna,” Esquirol explained.

He said those were the last words he ever heard his daughter say. A short time later, he heard distorted gurgling sounds over the phone. Less than 10 minutes later, Esquirol said he got a call from Blais’ husband, Curtis.

“He called me and told me that Stephanie had been attacked by a bear. The bear wouldn’t let go, so he shot the bear until it let go,” Esquirol said.

An investigation into the attack found that it was unprovoked, the bear was not hungry and nothing more could have been done to prevent Blais’ death.

Esquirol wondered whether the late winter and heavy snow pack in northern Saskatchewan this year had anything to do with the latest fatal attack in the province. He said that might have left bears hungrier than they normally are at this time of year.

He also said it could just be “a bad bear” that caused the death.

“I’m really heartbroken, because I’ve gone through exactly what they’re going through,” he added.

Esquirol said that the risk of dangerous wildlife encounters is always present for those who work, live or spend a lot of time in remote areas.

“Unfortunately, some of the risks are tragedies,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate.”

by Lara Fominoff, CKOM News Staff

Father of 2020 Saskatchewan bear attack victim ‘heartbroken’ over latest fatal encounter

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