Two grizzlies caught in Bella Coola, B.C.; DNA tests may confirm any link to attack

Two bears caught in Bella Coola, B.C., are suspected to be the grizzlies involved in attack on a teacher and school children on November 20, 2025.

Two grizzly bears have been captured in Bella Coola on British Columbia’s central coast, and DNA tests may be conducted on one of them to determine if it was involved in the attack on a group of students and teachers on Nov. 20, 2025.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the other bear has already been examined, and because any link to the attack is “not conclusive” it will be fitted with a GPS collar and relocated.

A spokesman for the environment ministry says an update about the other animal will be provided after the possible DNA assessment.

Conservation officers have been comparing evidence from the attack scene, 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, with evidence analyzed from the two bears caught on Monday.

The service has previously said a mother grizzly and two cubs are thought to have been involved in Thursday’s attack that left a teacher and three pupils with severe injuries, and the sow may have been injured.

Insp. Kevin Van Damme with the conservation service said after the capture of the first bear on Monday morning that the mother grizzly and her cubs were still considered a danger to the public.

He said residents needed to avoid the 4 Mile area, where the attack took place, and should stay indoors and not go looking for the bears themselves.

“The situation remains fluid as officers work tirelessly to capture and identify any bears involved,” he said.