Julien, a 44-year-old Franco-Canadian, had been traveling to Canada since August 1 as part of a musical project. He was allegedly attacked by the bear while sleeping.

Julien, a 44-year-old Franco-Canadian, was attacked on August 15 by a bear while bivouacking in northwestern Canada, reports Le Parisien . His friend Camille, who was traveling with him, called for help. They would have been surprised while sleeping, and the animal would have seized Julien by the neck and shoulder, then would have taken him into the forest, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A project born of crowdfunding

The forty-something, composer and soundman, traveled with his friend and member of his duet as part of a musical creation. More than just a trip, Julien realized a real dream. "It's been three years we thought about it," says Camille.

In their project, they planned to "float down the Mackenzie River independently, from Fort Providence to Inuvik (about 1,500 km)," as they write on the KissKissBankBank crowdfunding platform. Starting August 1st, they had to travel in the western part of Canada for about thirty days. The accident occurred while the two friends were in Tulita, along the river.

"During the adventure, Julien will record and take inspiration from the unusual sounds he will hear there and Camille will take pictures," they told the website detailing their project. The final goal was then to expose their creation in the Paris region.

" He had linked his passion for nature with that of music "

The composer, living in Seine-Saint-Denis, was largely inspired by the great natural spaces for his musical creations. "He grew up in Canada until he was 19 with his two French parents before coming to France, and he linked his passion for nature with that of music," says Julien's partner Laura, who stayed in France. Last year, Julien went to Antarctica to record sounds for five months. He then composed his "Southern Symphony" from these recordings. It had been played by the Orchester de Bretagne and broadcast by France Musique.

Bear attacks are very rare in Canada. According to the journal Nature , the increase in these attacks is due to the increase in tourism and population, which statistically increase the probability of encounter between a man and a bear.