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B.C. conservation officers say a second grizzly bear has now been captured in Bella Coola, though it has not been established whether the animal was involved in last week’s attack on an elementary school group.
Insp. Kevin Van Damme with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) confirmed the development in an interview with CBC’s Ian Hanomansing Monday afternoon.
He said officers will now immobilize the bear, assess its condition and collect evidence including DNA, to determine whether it matches material gathered at the attack scene or aligns with witness accounts.
Van Damme said the capture occurred near 4 Mile subdivision, the area where the attack happened and a place grizzlies are known to frequent.
An intense search is underway near Bella Coola, B.C., for a mother grizzly bear and two cubs after a group of schoolchildren were attacked, sending four people to hospital.
Earlier Monday, another grizzly bear was trapped, the first since the search began following Thursday’s attack.
“Evidence is not conclusive that the captured bear was involved in the attack,” reads a Facebook post from the BCCOS.
It goes on to say the animal will be fitted with a GPS collar and relocated.
Van Damme says one of the first priorities in capturing bears is establishing where bears regularly move in the area. Teams track movement patterns, set bait in locations the animals frequently use, and then attempt to capture and immobilize them.
He said officers have collected multiple forms of evidence from the scene of the attack.
This includes tracks, bite marks, hair samples and forensic evidence left on clothing, which will be used along with witness accounts to determine whether the captured bears are involved.
As for what will happen to any bears determined to be responsible, Van Damme said it is too early to say.
“We will work with biologists to understand the next steps and analyze why the bear did this,” he said, calling its behaviour “unusual.”
“We don’t see a bear coming into a large group of people and be as aggressive as it was.”
The bear attack in Bella Coola on Thursday is renewing conversations around B.C.’s grizzly hunt ban. As Johna Baylon reports, the B.C. Wildlife Federation is calling on the government to consider lifting that as the search for the bears continues.
The service says officers will continue to find the three grizzly bears believed to be involved in the Nov. 20 attack, which left two people critically hurt and two others seriously injured.
It adds that the bears are still considered a danger to the public, and residents are asked to stay indoors and avoid the 4 Mile area.
Samuel Schooner, Elected Chief of the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, B.C., says the nation has also launched an online fundraiser to support the families of the young children and teacher involved in the attack.
“We continue to ask for privacy for the victims; these are children and they deserve to recover with their families in a safe and comforting environment,” reads the statement, issued on Monday.
Sow, two cubs ‘likely’ involved: BCCOS
Three students and one teacher were hospitalized Thursday when the bear attacked a group of about 20 people, including teachers and Grade 4 and 5 students in Bella Coola — a community about 420 kilometres northwest of Vancouver as the crow flies.
The group was on a field trip and eating lunch at the time.
A grizzly bear attack involving a group of students and teachers in Bella Coola, B.C., has left two critically injured and two others seriously hurt, according to emergency officials. Officials praised teachers for heroically protecting the elementary students.
Correction: A previous version of this video said grizzly bear attacks had nearly doubled since the 2017 hunting ban. In fact, it is calls about human-grizzly interactions that have nearly doubled. The video has been corrected.
According to the BCCOS, three bears — a grizzly sow and two cubs — were “likely” involved in the attack based on their investigation and witness accounts so far.
BCCOS Sgt. Jeff Tyre has said there are a few bears in the area and the goal is to safely trap the animals, collect DNA, and work with wildlife veterinarians to determine whether the bears caught are the ones involved in the attack.
An RCMP helicopter is using thermal imaging to help the search, and trail cameras have been installed.
The search area has also been tightened to a few kilometres around the 4 Mile subdivision.
Anyone with information or who wants to report a bear sighting is asked to contact the Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277.
