Conservation officers call off search for grizzly that attacked B.C. school group

Conservation officers in British Columbia say they are no longer actively trying to capture the grizzly bear responsible for attacking a group of schoolchildren and teachers last month.

A statement from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says DNA and other forensic evidence has ruled out the involvement of four bears that were captured on Wednesday.

It says there have been no other bear sightings in the area of the attack around Bella Coola, B.C., for the past five days.

The statement says that due to the time of year, when bears begin denning, officers are no longer actively trying to capture bears and trapping equipment has been removed.

Three students and a school staff member were badly injured in the attack that came as their group of 20 ate lunch during a field trip on Nov. 20.

The service says 24 conservation officers were involved in efforts to find the bear over two weeks, including officers who drove overnight to hand-deliver animal samples for testing to a forensics lab at the University of Alberta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.

The Canadian Press