Conservation Efforts Intensify After School Group Attack
Conservation officers in British Columbia have successfully captured two more grizzly bears in the Bella Coola area, significantly expanding the investigation into last week's traumatic attack on a school group. This brings the total number of bears in custody to four, all being carefully assessed for potential involvement in the incident that sent three children and one adult to hospital.
Forensic Analysis and Search Operations Underway
The Conservation Officer Service confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday that forensic evidence from the attack is currently being analyzed at a specialized lab. While the captured bears are undergoing assessment, officers emphasize that no conclusive links to the November 20th attack have been confirmed yet.
Search efforts continue with advanced technology, including drones equipped with thermal imaging, to locate any additional bears that might have been involved in the incident at the 4 Mile area. Authorities have made it clear that any bears not definitively connected to the attack will be safely relocated within their home range, at a significant distance from the community.
Community Response and Safety Measures
Local residents remain under advisement to avoid the 4 Mile area and remain indoors, with explicit instructions not to attempt searching for bears themselves. The community has rallied around the victims from Acwsalcta School, an independent Nuxalk First Nations school.
Nuxalk Nation elected Chief Samuel Schooner has directed those wanting to help toward a GoFundMe campaign established to support the victims' families. The four injured individuals—three children and one adult—were seriously injured during the Grades 4 and 5 school outing and required airlift transport to Vancouver for emergency treatment. Their current condition remains undisclosed.
This incident highlights growing concerns about human-wildlife conflicts in the region. According to the Ministry of Environment, there have been 24 reports of human-wildlife conflicts involving grizzly bears in the Bella Coola area this year alone, with 18 of those calls occurring within the past three months.
