The B.C. Conservation Officer Service introduced on Friday that it’s now not actively in search of the grizzly bears concerned in an assault on schoolchildren and lecturers in Bella Coola in November.
Officers had lately captured 4 grizzly bears, however forensic outcomes got here again to substantiate that not one of the bears, an grownup feminine and three younger, have been linked to the assault.
Officers mentioned that the captured bears will likely be relocated inside their residence vary, removed from the group.
There have additionally been no bear sightings within the space of the assault for the previous 5 days, except for the 4 bears that have been captured on Dec. 3.
“Based on this issue and as a result of time of yr, when bears start denning, officers are now not actively attempting to seize bears, and tools has been eliminated,” the Conservation Officer Service mentioned in an announcement.
In complete, 24 conservation officers labored over two weeks to try to seize the bears, which included driving in a single day to hand-deliver animal samples for testing at a forensic lab on the University of Alberta.
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“This was a unprecedented response to a unprecedented assault — our investigation decided the behaviour and actions of this bear have been aggressive and in contrast to another documented grizzly bear assault we now have seen in B.C., or Canada,” mentioned Insp. Kevin Van Damme.
“We actually admire and worth the assist we obtained from our companions, together with the Nuxalk Nation and their Guardians, RCMP, forensics lab employees and ministry companions, who labored alongside us all through this incident.”
An info session was held on Thursday night time in Bella Coola, which was attended by greater than 100 folks, based on the Conservation Officer Service.
Van Damme mentioned they are going to intently monitor ongoing bear exercise and there’s a full-time conservation officer posted in Bella Coola, with extra accessible to help if wanted.
Three kids and a instructor have been badly injured within the assault that got here as their group of 20 ate lunch throughout a area journey.
They have been from Acwsalcta School in Bella Coola.
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