Hunter found dead was killed by bear

DIDSBURY, Alberta, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A Canadian meat-cutter who died on a hunting trip was killed by a grizzly bear, authorities said.

Robert Wagner's body was found Wednesday, two days after he failed to return from an elk-hunting trip, the Calgary Herald reported. An autopsy determined the cause of death was a bear attack.

Wagner was the fourth person in the past five years to be killed by bears in Alberta.

Greg Poirier, manager of the Didsbury AG Foods supermarket where Wagner worked, said Wagner was an enthusiastic hunter who shared the wild meat he brought in with co-workers and with the needy.

"He had a big heart. He gave a lot, he helped a lot. He never wanted to be in the spotlight, but he did a lot for everybody," Poirier said. "Say someone needed a fence built or needed a tree cut down or working in the fields. He'd be the first one to step up to give them a hand."

Dave Ealey, a spokesman for Alberta Fish and Wildlife, said conservation officers were searching for the bear responsible for the attack. If the animal is located, it will be trapped and its behavior studied to determine whether it can be relocated or will have to be killed.