A mother is dead and her 19-year-old daughter is missing after a suspected grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola on British Columbia's central coast, the same region where a bear injured a group of schoolchildren last November. The province's conservation officer service said an officer found the mother's body on Sunday during a search for the two missing people, and that the search for her daughter is ongoing.
The British Columbia conservation officer service said in a social media post on Tuesday that it had launched a search for the two missing people over the weekend, and that an officer found the mother's body on Sunday. The suspected attack happened at the Snooka West trail area, about 8km east of Bella Coola.
Relatives reported Jenny Balcarras, an art therapist, and her daughter missing over the weekend. A family member posted on Facebook about them, later updating the post after the conservation service announced the suspected attack to indicate that their vehicle had been found at a trailhead near Bella Coola.
Bella Coola, a community of roughly 2,100 people at the end of a fjord along the province's central coast, is remote and has abundant food sources, which the Guardian reports makes grizzly bears a common sight in the region, informally known as the Great Bear rainforest. Grizzly attacks in the province are described as exceedingly rare.
"Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this tragic time," Inspector Jeff Tyre said in a video posted online.
Last November, 11 people, some as young as nine years old, were injured when a grizzly emerged from the forest near 4 Mile, a Nuxalk community, and attacked a school group on a lunch break alongside a walking trail. Despite an extensive search, the bear was never located.
Samuel Schooner, elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation, said the incident would inflict trauma on victims' family members, victims of last year's attack and the community at large. “While the full circumstances are still unfolding, we understand first-hand the trauma this incident will inflict upon the victims' family members, the victims of last year's attack and the community at large,” he said on Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with the victim's family as they learn of this tragic event.”
Schooner said a trapping effort to find the bear was under way and asked media to refrain from contacting community members.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- A second serious bear incident in the same corner of British Columbia within a year puts fresh scrutiny on how the province manages grizzly encounters near remote communities.
- Bella Coola's isolation, at the end of a fjord reachable largely by air or a long road journey, shapes both the risk to residents and the logistics of the search now under way.
- The immediate priority is locating the missing 19-year-old and finding the animal before further contact with people.
Background
Grizzly bears range across western North America and are a protected species in British Columbia, where encounters with people are most common in remote valleys and coastal inlets with rich food sources. The Bella Coola area, surrounded by temperate rainforest, is one such place, and residents there are used to sharing terrain with bears. Fatal attacks remain very unusual, but when they occur in small communities the effects reach well beyond the immediate victims.
What to Watch
- Whether the conservation officer service reports finding the missing 19-year-old, and where the search is focused.
- The outcome of the trapping effort the Nuxalk Nation says is under way, and whether the bear responsible is identified.
- Whether the province changes its guidance or bear-management approach in the Bella Coola area after a second attack in consecutive years.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedA mother is dead and her daughter is missing after a suspected grizzly bear attack in western Canada.World news | The Guardian: “A mother is dead and her daughter is missing in western Canada after a suspected grizzly bear attack”
- SupportedThe missing daughter is 19 years old.World news | The Guardian: “The search for her 19-year-old daughter is ongoing.”
- SupportedAn officer found the mother’s body on Sunday, and the search for her daughter is ongoing.World news | The Guardian: “during the search on Sunday an officer found the mother’s body. The search for her 19-year-old daughter is ongoing.”
- SupportedThe suspected attack happened near Bella Coola, in the Snooka West trail area, about 8km east of the community.World news | The Guardian: “The suspected attack happened at the Snooka West trail area, about 8km (4.97 miles) east of Bella Coola, British Columbia, on the province’s central coast.”
- SupportedThe conservation officer service said on Tuesday it had launched a search over the weekend for two missing people.World news | The Guardian: “On Tuesday, the British Columbia conservation officer service said in a social media post that it had launched a search for the two missing people on the weekend”
- SupportedRelatives reported Jenny Balcarras and her daughter missing over the weekend.World news | The Guardian: “Jenny Balcarras, an art therapist, and her daughter were reported missing by relatives over the weekend.”
- SupportedA family member later updated a Facebook post to say their vehicle had been found at a trailhead near Bella Coola.World news | The Guardian: “A family member posted on Facebook about them, later updating it after the conservation service announced the suspected attack to indicate that their vehicle had been found at a trailhead near Bella Coola, British Columbia.”
- SupportedInspector Jeff Tyre said, “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this tragic time.”World news | The Guardian: ““Our thoughts are with the families of the victims during this tragic time,” Inspector Jeff Tyre said in a video posted online.”
- SupportedLast November, 11 people, some as young as nine, were injured in a grizzly attack on a school group near 4 Mile.World news | The Guardian: “last November, 11 people, some as young as nine years old, were injured when a grizzly emerged from the forest near 4 Mile, a Nuxalk community, and attacked a school group”
- SupportedThe bear from last November’s attack was never located despite an extensive search.World news | The Guardian: “Despite an extensive search, the bear was never located.”
- SupportedSamuel Schooner is the elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation.World news | The Guardian: “said Samuel Schooner, elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation, on Tuesday.”
- SupportedSchooner said a trapping effort to find the bear was under way and asked media not to contact community members.World news | The Guardian: “Schooner said a trapping effort to find the bear was under way and asked media to refrain from contacting community members.”