The man killed in a rare fatal bear attack in northern Saskatchewan on May 8 wanted to be a professional mixed martial arts fighter, according to his brother.
Originally from Kerala, India, Hrishikesh Koloth, 27, was working at a uranium exploration site when he was attacked.
He had trained in MMA for over a decade, first in India and then in Canada after moving here three years ago. He had been living in Penticton, B.C., with his older brother Arjun Koloth.
Hrishikesh had been working on contract as a technician at the Zoo Bay property operated by Vancouver-based UraniumX Discovery Corp. The site is near Nordbye Lake, roughly 850 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
Arjun said Hrishikesh was a fighter and a dreamer.
“That was his dream. That’s why he came here,” Arjun said. “He wanted to fight in the UFC.”
He trained with Skoden Martial Arts in Penticton, and “everybody had high hopes on him,” Arjun said. “It shouldn’t have been like this.”
Arjun said a knock at his door at 4 a.m. PDT turned his world upside down.
“An RCMP came to my door and knocked and let me know that your brother has passed away in Saskatchewan,” he said.
A civilian on site shot and killed the bear. The animal has since been transported to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon for a necropsy.
The company, UraniumX Discovery Corp, confirmed one of its contractors was killed and extended its thoughts and prayers to the family.
Man killed by bear in northern Sask. was fighter, dreamer
Arjun said his brother was going to start a job as a boxing coach in Vancouver in June.
“Job is just a means to an end,” Arjun said. “The end was to fight.”
He described Hrishikesh as humble, fearless, and fiercely loving to his family — someone who spoiled his parents and wanted to do everything for them.
“He’s not scared of anything,” Arjun said. “Two days notice before a fight? Doesn’t matter. Opponent heavier than him? Doesn’t matter. Win or lose, he just wanted to fight.”
Arjun is now in Kerala for his brother’s funeral and to be with the rest of his family.
“I wanted him to be known for what he does, how he was. I can’t do anything anymore, so at least I could do this for him,” he said.
“I want him to be remembered for what he does. Innocent heart, fighter’s soul. Warrior. And I’d just like to say he fought [the] bear. That’s all … bear didn’t attack him. He attacked the bear.”
This is only the fourth fatal bear incident in Saskatchewan’s recorded history. The last was in 2020, when Stephanie Blais, 44, was killed near her family’s cabin north of Buffalo Narrows.
