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 animal pounced on Mount Wilson in Alberta at the weekend.
He and fellow climber Nick Bullock managed to escape and made 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 has also taken to social media to thank all those who had taken the time to wish his son and the family well in these “unusual circumstances”.
His mum Tina added: “We’ve been told that it is very unusual for a bear to attack like that.
“The parks department had been in touch with Greg and said it had been unseasonably warm so it may have woken up early from its hibernation.”
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 as it gripped his leg, 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 but have decided not to pursue the matter further.
Jon Stuart-Smith, a human-wildlife conflict specialist with Parks Canada, says that officials have concluded the grizzly attacked because it felt threatened.
“They likely surprised this bear as it was trying to den,” he said.
Parks Canada officials closed the area where the attack happened to allow the bear to hibernate, he added.