By Sky News Thursday 11 Sept 2008.
A fisherman has been mauled by a black bear after it swam across a river, climbed onto a dock and then jumped aboard the man's boat to attack him. The 52-year-old had just boarded his vessel at Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada when the animal struck.
It is believed the bear was drawn to the marina by the smell of Salmon. Even after the victim threw the fish back into the water, the animal continued to maul him. Several other fishermen raced to help the man using hooked poles, knives and a hammer to pull the bear off him.
When wildlife conservation officers arrived they found the creature had died from knife and hammer injuries. Officer Gordon Hitchcock said: "This - for Vancouver Island - is not your typical black bear behaviour." The adult male bear appears to "not have been in good health", he added. "All the bears in Port Renfrew are pretty docile," said Fire Chief Dan Tennant. "They're more afraid of people than people are of them and normally turn and high-tail it when they see people."
The unidentified victim was airlifted to Royal Jubilee hospital in Victoria where he is recovering from cuts to his arm and upper body.
The animal was undergoing a necropsy to determine what prompted the attack
