Conservation officers in British Columbia say they are hoping to trap three grizzly bears as part of the search for the animal that attacked a group of elementary school students and their teachers on Thursday.
An update from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the investigation, including witness accounts, has found that additional bears were seen in Bella Coola at the time of the attack, which left three pupils and a teacher with major injuries.
The statement says efforts to capture and assess all three bears are ongoing and the investigation includes collecting “any forensic evidence that can be used to identify bears involved.”
An RCMP plane with thermal imaging capability is being used to help with the search.
Health officials did not have an update on the condition of the four people who are in hospital after the attack on the group of about 20 students and staff, who were on a field trip and having lunch at the time.
Sgt. Jeff Tyre with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Friday that traps have been set up and cameras are being installed, but no decision has been made on whether to euthanize the bear if it is caught.
He said the goal is to get the bear to act naturally, and that is more likely if people stay out of the area roughly 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, where the bear was believed to be.
Chief Samuel Schooner from the Nuxalk Nation told a news conference Friday that the teachers who scared away the bear were heroes who “chose to lay their lives on the line” for the pupils.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
