A Fife climber who survived a vicious attack by a grizzly bear in the Canadian Rockies has welcomed a decision to let the bear live.
Greg Boswell, 24, from Cupar, is still recovering on the other side of the Atlantic after he suffered serious leg injuries when the wild animal pounced on Mount Wilson in Alberta at the weekend.
Thankfully he and fellow climber Nick Bullock managed to escape and make it back down the mountain to seek medical attention.
It has now emerged that park rangers have decided to take “no further action” against the bear amid fears it would be hunted down and killed a decision welcomed by both adventurers.
Mr Boswell’s dad Pete said: “He’s pleased he wouldn’t have wanted that.
“The bear was in its own environment and it was acting on animal instinct.”
Mr Boswell and Mr Bullock were chased by the bear in the darkness on the mountainside, but the former was left open to attack after stumbling in the snow.
The bear ripped the thumb off his glove as he tried to prise the animal’s jaws apart, although it let go of Mr Boswell long enough for him to run away.
He suffered bites to his legs and required 45 stitches to his wounds.
With investigations continuing into the incident, park rangers used Mr Boswell’s clothes to take a DNA record of the creature responsible but have decided not to pursue the matter further.
For more on this story, read Friday’s Courier.