More than one grizzly bear may have been involved in a bear attack that relatives say left a mother and her daughter dead in Bella Coola along the province’s central coast, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said.
Service Inspector Jeff Tire said in a video message that the second body was found Tuesday afternoon during a search by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and conservation officers, after the first set of remains were discovered a day earlier.
He added that it was “not yet clear whether more than one bear was involved” and that any bears captured in the area would be assessed.
Family members of art therapist Jenny Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, reported them missing on Sunday.
Balcarras’ brother, Matthew Balcarras, said Wednesday that his sister was “incredibly strong” and had lived in many harsh and remote places, including Alaska, before moving to Bella Coola, on British Columbia’s central coast, a few months ago.
“She was a beautiful artist and she was an inspiration to me and my brothers,” Matthew Balcarras said of his sister.
Authorities have imposed a curfew on the community, located about 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver, as the search continues for the animal or animals behind the attack. If the “offending bear” is captured, it will be killed to protect public safety, Tire said.
A fundraiser organized by her relative Mary Melissa Smith said Reed was 20 years old, “with her whole life ahead of her,” while Balcarras leaves behind three young adult children, as well as a grandchild.
Balcarras left behind a son, two daughters and a grandson who are now “facing the devastating loss of their mother” while dealing with the financial burden of arranging funeral services, Smith said.
The Central Coast Teachers’ Association said on social media that Balcarras joined their school community as a counselor in August and spent “countless hours communicating with the students she served and working closely with teachers and other staff to ensure their well-being.”
The attack comes nearly a year after a grizzly bear attack on a group of 20 students and teachers at an elementary school in the same area, which left one adult and three children seriously injured.
The animal involved in this attack last November was never captured.
Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety & Calgary-based More Inc. said it was concerned when it saw information about women on Facebook hiking groups.
“When I saw that they were missing and in the area where they were missing, my heart sank because I knew it could be a bear attack,” Titchener said.
“This community and this region has suffered so much in the last year,” she said, referring to the grizzly bear attack on schoolchildren.
Bella Coola is well known for its large population of grizzly and black bears, and Titchener said it’s common for Bella Coola residents to see bears walking near their homes.
Titchener said there are “worrying pressures” on bear populations in British Columbia due to habitat loss, drought-induced feeding stress and climate change, triggering more conflicts with humans.
“I don’t know if Bella Coola suffered from drought issues, but other areas of British Columbia certainly did,” she said.
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