This is a list of human deaths caused by bear attacks in North America by decade in reverse chronological order. These fatalities have been documented through news media, reports, cause-of-death statistics, scientific papers, or other sources. For general information on the topic, see Bear attack.
Fatal bear attacks in North America have occurred in a variety of settings. There have been several in wilderness habitats of bears involving workers, hikers, hunters, and campers. Brown bear (including the subspecies grizzly bear) incidents have occurred in its native range spanning Alaska, Northern Canada, and Western Canada, and portions of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The locations of black bear wilderness fatal attacks reflect its wider range.
Bears held captive by animal trainers, in zoos or carnivals, or kept as pets, have been responsible for several attacks. There have also been unusual cases in which a person entered a bear's cage and was then mauled.
Bear attacks are rare in North America. Attacks are for predatory, territorial, or protective reasons. Most wilderness attacks have occurred when there were only one or two people in the vicinity.
In this list, three species of bears are recognized: the black bear (Ursus americanus), the brown bear (Ursus arctos), and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus).
2020s
Black bear DateVictimTypeLocation — CircumstancesJay MacDonald, 70s, male Deb MacDonald, 70s, femaleWildCanada, Saskatchewan, La Ronge — On July 15, 2026, the couple in their early 70s from Regina, SK were found dead near McTavish Lake, a fly-in lake approximately 90 kilometres north of La Ronge. Jay was found near the lakeshore and Deb was found in the woods near their cabin. Conservation officers euthanized a bear suspected to be involved.Hrishikesh Koloth, 27, maleWildCanada, Saskatchewan, Points North — On May 8, 2026, 27-year-old Hrishikesh Koloth was killed by a black bear while working on contract as a technician at a uranium exploration site near Norbye Lake, approximately 850 km northeast of Saskatoon. The bear was shot and killed by a civilian on site, and the animal's corpse was transferred to the Saskatoon's Western College of Veterinary Medicine for necropsy.Max Thomas, 60, maleWildUnited States, Newton County, Arkansas — On October 2, 2025, Max Thomas, 60, was killed by a black bear while at a campground. State officials later shot and killed a bear believed to have killed Thomas. However, on October 23, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced that the bear killed was not the same bear that killed Thomas.Vernon Patton, 72, maleWildUnited States, Franklin County, Arkansas — On September 3, 2025, Vernon Patton, 72, was critically injured by a juvenile black bear while he was on a tractor. The bear was attacking Patton when his son showed up and began throwing rocks at the animal. Game wardens responded to the scene and fatally shot the animal. Patton succumbed to his injuries on September 14, 2025. Robert Markel, 89, maleWildUnited States, Collier County, Florida — Robert Markel, an 89-year-old resident of Jerome, Florida, and his daughter's dog were killed by a black bear in separate attacks in an unincorporated part of Collier County just north of Everglades City. Markel's daughter called the police after seeing the bear attack her dog, and she was unable to locate her father in the meantime. It was the first fatal black bear attack on a human in Florida state history. Wildlife officers subsequently killed three bears in the Collier County area, and one was determined to have been responsible for Markel's death.John Woods, 60, maleWildCanada, Shamattawa First Nation, Manitoba — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police believes that the victim, who went missing in northeastern Manitoba's Shamattawa First Nation, was killed by a bear. A week before the incident, the RCMP responded to another bear attack that left another person in the area injured. It is so far undetermined if the attack was initiated by a black or a brown bear, or even a polar bear, as the latter has been seen in this area before and descend into land every July when the Hudson Bay ice breaks up.Patrice Miller, 71, femaleWildUnited States, Downieville, California — Sheriff's deputies found Miller's remains during a welfare check. There were signs that a bear had entered the house and mauled the body, but initially, the Sierra County Sheriff's Office thought this had happened after Miller's death. However, an autopsy confirmed the bear had killed Miller. The male bear was trapped and killed, and DNA testing confirmed it was the bear responsible. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Miller's death is the first confirmed fatal attack by a black bear in California.Steven Jackson, 66, maleWildUnited States, Groom Creek, Arizona — The victim was sitting in a chair outside of his campsite when an adult male black bear attacked him. The bear dragged him about 75 yards (68 m) and began consuming him. Neighbors heard his screams for help amid the struggle and tried to scare the bear away by yelling and honking horns, but to no avail. One neighbor eventually grabbed a rifle and shot the bear, killing it, but Jackson was already dead. The bear was , estimated at 7 to 10 years old, and was in good condition with no signs of disease. Officials ultimately determined that the bear acted in an unprovoked predatory attack.Unnamed female, 26WildCanada, Swan Hills, Alberta — The victim worked for a helicopter company, which provided transportation for tree planters, when she was attacked by an adult female black bear. The woman was killed as result of the attack. The bear was tracked and killed by authorities.Laney Malavolta, 39, femaleWildUnited States, Durango, Colorado — Malavolta was attacked and killed while hiking with her dogs in the forest above and to the west of US 550, near Trimble. Her body showed signs of partial consumption. Authorities euthanized a mother black bear and two cubs found nearby. After an autopsy, it was determined that the mother bear and one of her cubs had fed upon Malavolta.Patrick Madura, 43, maleWildUnited States, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina — Madura was backpacking in the park. His remains were found on September 11, 2020, near the remote Hazel Creek area where he had been camping. Backpackers first found an unoccupied tent at Hazel Creek Campsite 82, then discovered what appeared to be human remains across the creek with a bear scavenging in the area and alerted park rangers. An autopsy concluded that Madura had been killed by the bear.Stephanie Blais, 44, femaleWildCanada, Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan — Blais was communicating with her father from a satellite phone while camping with her two children and husband at a family cabin on McKie Lake when the bear attacked her. Her husband, Curtis, was inside the cabin's kitchen away. The investigation showed the attack was unprovoked and predatory in nature. Curtis subsequently sprayed the bear with pepper spray, but this only aggravated the animal. He grabbed a gun and shot it twice, killing the bear.Peter Franczak, 67, maleWildCanada, Red Lake, Ontario — Franczak went blueberry picking in the morning and did not return. Officers of the Ontario Provincial Police went to search for him and found his remains along with a black bear in the vicinity. Postmortem examination later attributed Franczak's death to be a bear attack. The bear was killed by police when they arrived at the scene.
Brown bear