Canadian authorities killed four grizzly bears because they were linked to the fatal attack on a mother and her daughter in British Columbia.
International news agencies reported on 11 Nov 2026 that Jennifer Balcarrus, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed were found dead after going for an afternoon walk along a hiking trail in Bella Coola earlier that November.
Following the incident, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) launched an investigation into the deaths, and forensic evidence later confirmed that a mother bear and her three cubs were responsible for the attack.
Jeff Tyre, an investigator with BCCOS, stated in an update on Tuesday (10 Nov) that the four grizzly bears were killed “in accordance with the province’s human-wildlife conflict response protocol” to ensure public safety.
“The investigation included animal DNA analysis that definitively linked the mother bear and her three cubs,” Tyre added, noting the attack likely involved predatory behavior by the bears, which is a rare occurrence.
Tyre also revealed that over 12 conservation officers participated in the investigation over the past week amid “challenging terrain and weather conditions.”
However, Tyre confirmed that DNA results also showed these four bears were not connected to a November 2025 attack on a group of students in the Bella Coola area, which injured 11 people.
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.bbc