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British Columbia conservation officers say a second grizzly bear has been captured in Bella Coola, although it has not been determined whether the animal was involved in last week's attack on an elementary school group.
Insp. Kevin Van Damme of the British Columbia Conservation Service (BCCOS) confirmed this in an interview with CBC's Ian Hanomansing on Monday afternoon.
He said officers will now subdue the bear, assess its condition and collect evidence, including DNA, to determine whether it matches material collected at the scene of the attack or witnesses.
Van Damme said the capture occurred near the 4 Mile area, the area where the attack took place and an area where grizzlies are known to frequent.
An intense search is underway for a female grizzly bear and two cubs near Bella Coola, British Columbia, after an attack on a group of schoolchildren left four people hospitalized.
Earlier on Monday Another grizzly bear has been captured, the first since the search began following Thursday's attack.
“Evidence that the captured bear was involved in the attack is not conclusive,” the report said. Facebook post from BTSKOS.
It goes on to say that the animal will be fitted with a GPS collar and transported.
Van Damme says one of the top priorities in bear trapping is identifying where bears regularly move through the area. Teams monitor movement patterns, place baits in areas the animals frequently use, and then try to catch and subdue them.
He said officers collected a wealth of evidence from the scene of the attack.
This includes footprints, bite marks, hair samples and forensic evidence left on clothing, which will be used along with witness statements to determine whether captured bears are involved.
As for what will happen to the bears who decide to be responsible, Van Damme said it's too early to tell.
“We will work with biologists to understand the next steps and analyze why the bear did what it did,” he said, calling its behavior “unusual.”
“We don’t see the bear going into a large group of people and being as aggressive as it used to be.”
A bear attack in Bella Coola on Thursday has reignited talk of B.C.'s ban on grizzly bear hunting. As Jonah Bailon reports, the BC Wildlife Federation is calling on the government to consider lifting the ban as the search for bears continues.
The service says officers will continue to search for three grizzly bears believed to be involved in a Nov. 20 attack that left two people seriously injured and two others seriously injured.
He adds that bears are still considered a danger to the public and residents are asked to stay home and avoid the 4-mile zone.
Samuel Schooner, the elected chief of the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, British Columbia, says the nation has also launched an online fundraiser to support the families of young children and teachers involved in the attack.
“We continue to demand privacy for the victims; these are children and they deserve to recover with their families in a safe and comfortable environment,” they said in a statement released Monday.
Pig, two babies 'probably' involved: BCCOS
Three students and one teacher were hospitalized Thursday when a bear attacked a group of about 20 people, including teachers and students in grades 4 and 5 in Bella Coola, a community about 420 kilometers northwest of Vancouver as the crow flies.
The group was on an excursion and having lunch at that time.
A grizzly bear attack on a group of students and teachers in Bella Coola, British Columbia, left two seriously injured and two others seriously injured, emergency officials said. Officials praised teachers for their heroic defense of elementary school students. Correction: A previous version of this video stated that grizzly bear attacks nearly doubled after the 2017 hunting ban. In fact, the number of calls about human-grizzly bear interactions has nearly doubled. Video has been corrected.
According to BCCOS, the three bears – a grizzly sow and two cubs – were “probably” involved in the attack, based on their investigation and witness statements.
BCCOS Sgt. Jeff Tire said there are several bears in the area and the goal is to safely capture the animals, collect DNA and work with wildlife veterinarians to determine if the captured bears are involved in the attack.
An RCMP helicopter is using thermal imaging to aid the search, and security cameras have been installed.
The search area was also narrowed to several kilometers around a 4-mile area.
Anyone with information or wanting to report a bear sighting is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277.
