Multiple Grizzly Bears May Have Killed Mother and Daughter in Canada, Officials Say

Officials in British Columbia, Canada, say a grizzly bear — and possibly more than one — attacked and killed a mother and her daughter near the town of Bella Coola. The victims were identified as Jenny Balcarras, an art therapist, and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed. Family members reported the two women missing on Sunday, and searchers found their bodies over the next two days. The attack has shaken a community that is still recovering from a similar grizzly bear attack less than a year ago.

Inspector Jeff Tyre of the Conservation Officer Service said officers found the second body on Tuesday afternoon. The first set of remains had been discovered the day before. Royal Canadian Mounted Police and conservation officers worked together in the search. Tyre said in a video message that it is 'not yet clear if more than one bear was involved,' but any bears captured in the area will be carefully assessed by wildlife experts.

A family member named Mary Melissa Smith set up a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs. She described Reed as a young woman with 'her whole life ahead of her.' Balcarras leaves behind three young adult children and a grandchild. Smith wrote that Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola to start a new chapter in her life and pursue a new career.

The Central Coast Teachers' Association shared a tribute on social media saying Balcarras had joined their school as a counselor just this past August. She had spent 'countless hours' connecting with students and helping teachers support student well-being. Her family, including a son, two daughters, and a grandson, are now dealing with both the grief of losing her and the financial stress of planning a funeral. The community has described her as a caring and dedicated person.

Wildlife officers said they are still working to capture the bear or bears involved in the attack. Under provincial guidelines, any animal found responsible for killing a person must be put down to protect public safety. Tyre said officers are staying in close contact with the nearby Nuxalk Nation and residents of Bella Coola. He asked the public to stay away from the west trail area of the Snootka trail system, where the attack took place.

This tragedy comes less than a year after a grizzly bear attacked a group of 20 elementary school students and teachers in the same region last November. That attack left one adult and three children seriously injured. The animal involved was never caught. The back-to-back incidents have left many in Bella Coola feeling frightened and heartbroken.

Bear safety expert Kim Titchener, who runs a company called Bear Safety and More Inc. in Calgary, said she had a bad feeling as soon as she saw reports about the missing women on a Facebook hiking group. 'This community and area have suffered so much last year,' she said. After last year's attack on schoolchildren, Titchener said she received many calls from day cares and school groups asking for bear safety training. She noted that Bella Coola is well known for having a large number of both grizzly and black bears.

Titchener said one big reason for more bear conflicts with people is habitat loss and food stress. Droughts caused by climate change have made it harder for bears to find enough food in the wild. When bears are hungry, they are more likely to come close to neighborhoods and trails where people are. While she was not certain whether Bella Coola had drought problems this year, she said other parts of British Columbia definitely did.