Four grizzly bears killed in Canada after fatal attack on mother and daughter

What the report says

British Columbia conservation officials say four grizzly bears were killed after being linked by forensic testing to the fatal attack that killed Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, near Bella Coola. According to the BBC, the mother and daughter died earlier this month after going for an afternoon walk on a trail in the area.

The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said DNA evidence and the wider investigation tied a sow and her three cubs to the incident. Inspector Jeff Tyre said the bears were destroyed in line with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety. He also said the attack likely involved predatory behavior, which he described as very rare.

The investigation involved more than a dozen conservation officers working in difficult terrain and weather. The BBC reported that DNA testing also ruled out these same bears in connection with a separate 2025 attack on a school group in the Bella Coola area, in which 11 people were injured and the responsible animal was never found.

Nuxalk Nation Chief Samuel Schooner said the result had been deeply unsettling for the community, which is still recovering from last year’s attack. More broadly, grizzly bear encounters remain a major wildlife-management issue in parts of British Columbia, where thousands of the animals are estimated to live.