Conservation officers call off search for grizzly in Bella Coola attack

B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.

The news comes after forensic analysis determined four grizzlies captured this week, an adult female and three young, were not linked to the attack, which left three children and one teacher badly injured while out on a school field trip.

In total, eight bears were captured and tested as officers searched for the one responsible. All of them are being relocated away from the community.

But, the service says in a social media update, with no new bear sightings and with grizzlies moving into denning season, they are "no longer actively trying to capture bears, and equipment has been removed."

The captured bears that are being relocated will be equipped with GPS collars for monitoring purposes.

An update on the status of those injured in the attack has not been provided.

The attack was deemed highly unusual by both conservation officers and members of the Nuxalk Nation, who say they have long co-existed with grizzlies and that the school group was well-acquainted with bear safety.

While some groups have used the attack as an opening to reopen the debate on whether to lift a ban on hunting grizzlies, conservationists and the Nation have said there is little evidence that the hunting ban is responsible for the attack.

"We've lived alongside them for thousands of years," Jason Moody, the father of one of the girls in the school group, and Nuxalk's fisheries and wildlife planning coordinator told CBC News in a Nov. 28 interview.

"Our relationship is one of respect, and they're revered and honoured."

For more than two weeks, officials scoured the region trying to find the bear responsible for the attack, setting traps and going on patrols. Residents were urged to not travel alone, with rides offered to those who need them.

In total, the BCCOS says, 24 officers were sent out in rotating teams, including some who drove hundreds of kilometres to hand-deliver samples collected from captured bears to a forensics lab at the University of Alberta.

On Thursday night, the Nuxalk Nation led an information session on the attack and search for the offending bear, which they say was attended by more than 100 people.

The details of that meeting, however, are being kept private to the community, the Nation says, out of respect for those impacted.