World · North America · 2 hrs ago
Four grizzly bears linked to fatal attack near Bella Coola
A mother and daughter were killed in a grizzly attack near Bella Coola, B.C. DNA tests linked the deaths to a female grizzly and her three yearling cubs.
Officials said the attack likely involved rare predatory behaviour, though they do not know how it began.
The four bears were captured and killed because bears involved in fatal attacks are considered too dangerous to relocate or rehabilitate.
They were not the bears involved in a separate attack on students and teachers in 2025, in which 11 people were injured.
The latest deaths have shaken the Nuxalk Nation community, where authorities imposed a voluntary curfew and police escorted children to school.
Conservation officers say they will work with the community to help prevent future bear conflicts.
Four grizzly bears were linked by forensic testing to the fatal attack on Jennifer Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, near Bella Coola, B.C.
The bears—a female and her three yearling cubs—were captured and killed to protect the public.
Authorities said the attack likely involved predatory behaviour, which they described as very rare.
The bears were not involved in a 2025 attack on schoolchildren and teachers in the same area.
The reports differ on Reed’s age: the Globe and Mail says 19, while CBC says 20.
- Who
- Jennifer Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, were killed. A female grizzly and her three cubs were linked to the attack.
- What
- Four grizzly bears were found to have been actively involved in the fatal attack and were killed.
- When
- Earlier in November 2026; the exact date of the attack is not stated.
- Where
- Near Bella Coola, in British Columbia.
- Why
- Authorities said the bears were killed to protect the public because bears involved in fatal attacks cannot be rehabilitated or relocated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A grizzly attack near Bella Coola killed Jennifer Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed.
The mother and daughter were reported missing, and their bodies were found in an area of trails outside Bella Coola.
Four grizzly bears were captured in connection with the attack.
The Conservation Officer Service said forensic testing linked the four bears to the attack and that they had been killed.
- Bears linked to attack
- One female grizzly and three cubs
- Victims
- Jennifer Balcarras and Selah Reed
- Location
- Near Bella Coola, British Columbia
- Previous attack
- A 2025 attack injured an adult and three children
- DNA finding
- The four bears were not involved in the 2025 attack
4 sources
What people are saying
Our investigation also found that this attack likely involved predatory behaviour, which I can tell you is very rare
We remain committed to working with the Nuxalk Nation and the Bella Coola community to help prevent future bear conflicts
This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members as we continue to recover from last year’s attack.
Our community is rightfully still deeply affected, and will be for generations