Grizzly bear that chased 2 people killed

CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Parks Canada officials said they killed a 350-pound grizzly bear that treed two hikers in Alberta because its behavior was becoming increasingly aggressive.

The bear has been wearing a radio-tracking collar for more than three years and was identified as Bear No. 8, the Calgary Herald reported Thursday.

Parks officials decided Wednesday to locate and kill the 6-year-old animal, two days after it chased a hiking guide and Japanese tourist up a tree and climbed after them in Banff National Park, west of Calgary.

After two hours, the bear meandered away and park officials got the men to safety, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.

Hal Morrison, a human-wildlife conflict specialist for the federal parks agency said the decision to kill the male bear was "pretty sad" and was made reluctantly.

"We work very hard at trying to keep bears alive, but it was a necessary move given his escalating level of aggression and number of incidents," he told the Herald.

The bear had a history of charging runners and cyclists, roaming through populated areas and once climbing onto a Canadian Pacific rail car and threatening workers who approached, the report said.

Officials said it was the first ordered killing of a grizzly bear in the national parks since 1995.