BURST
Conservation officers have captured two more grizzly bears in addition to the two bears captured on Monday following last week’s attack on school kids in Bella Coola.
The bears are being assessed to determine whether they were involved in the attack but so far nothing has been confirmed.
Forensic evidence from the attack is also being analyzed at a forensics lab, according to a post by the Conservation Officer Service on Facebook Thursday. Conservation officers continue efforts to locate and capture any bears that may have been involved.
Officers are using drones with thermal imaging technology to search for more bears in Bella Coola. They said any bears not conclusively linked to the attack will be relocated within their home range, far from the community.
Residents are asked to avoid the 4 Mile area, remain indoors and do not attempt to search for the bears themselves.
Nuxalk Nation elected Chief Samuel Schooner asked anyone who wants to help to contribute to a GoFundMe established to support the families of the victims.
Four people — three children and an adult — from Acwsalcta School were seriously injured and airlifted to Vancouver for treatment. There has been no update on their condition.
The Ministry of Environment said there have been 24 calls about human-wildlife conflict involving grizzly bears in the Bella Coola area this year, 18 of which were in the past three months.
With files from Joseph Ruttle and Cheryl Chan