DNA testing linked four grizzly bears to the fatal attack on a mother and daughter near Bella Coola, British Columbia, officials said Tuesday. Investigators described the attack as likely predatory behavior, which they said is rare, and confirmed the bears were not involved in a separate attack on schoolchildren in the region last year.

DNA results identify four bears

The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said forensic testing tied an adult female grizzly and her three yearling cubs to the deaths. The animals had been captured during the investigation and were killed to protect public safety, according to the agency’s update reported by The Associated Press and CBC News.

The mother and adult daughter were found near a trail outside Bella Coola, a remote community on British Columbia’s central coast. Their remains were discovered roughly 150 metres apart, according to the reports. Officials said the investigation could not establish how the encounter began, but concluded that it likely involved predatory behavior.

Officials distinguish this case from last year’s attack

The Conservation Officer Service said DNA evidence showed these four bears were not involved in a separate grizzly attack last November, when 11 people were injured during an encounter involving a group of schoolchildren and teachers in the same area. That distinction matters because the earlier attack had heightened concern in a community still dealing with its effects.

Local authorities imposed a voluntary curfew after the latest deaths, and police escorted children to school, the AP reported. The Nuxalk Nation’s elected chief councilor said community support services would remain available. The reports describe steps taken locally; they do not indicate a broader closure or province-wide restriction.

Why the update matters to the community

The DNA findings resolve a central question in the investigation: which bears were involved. They also separate this fatal incident from the earlier school-group attack, whose animal was never captured. The Conservation Officer Service said bears involved in fatal attacks cannot be relocated or rehabilitated because officials consider them an extreme public-safety risk.

Authorities have characterized predatory attacks as very rare. The finding is specific to this investigation and does not establish that bear encounters generally are predatory. The agency and community leaders have said discussion about how people and bears can coexist will continue.

Sources

The Associated Press: 4 grizzly bears linked by DNA to deadly attack on mother and daughter in Canada
CBC News: 4 grizzly bears responsible for killing mother and daughter in B.C., officials say