A black bear appears on the shores of Lake Athabasca near Fort Chipewyan, Alta., on Sep. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/AP/Victor R. Caivano
Conservation officers in British Columbia say a black bear that was killed by RCMP officers last Sunday was, “in fact,” responsible for an attack that had left a three-year-old girl with injuries.
Conservation officers took to social media to correct their earlier assessment, in which they said the wrong bear had been killed, and apologized for the confusion.
The three-year-old girl was attacked by a black bear on the back deck of her home in Maple Ridge on Aug. 9.
A parent intervened and drove the bear off, and the child was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital with non-life-altering injuries.
Mounties from Maple Ridge say a bear was observed multiple times in the same area within about 40 minutes following the attack, and officers believed it was the same bear and made the decision to shoot it to prevent further injury or loss of life.
Sgt. Jeremy Pauls with Conservation Officer Service says that based on the evidence available to their investigators at the time, officers initially concluded the bear shot by Mounties was not the one responsible for the attack.
But Pauls says after reassessing the evidence, additional investigation and DNA analysis, they can now confirm the bear killed was in fact the one responsible for the attack.
Pauls says no other bears were shot in connection with the incident.
“We recognize the impact of our earlier assessment and apologize for the confusion it caused. We’re grateful to the RCMP officers who responded quickly to protect public safety,” Pauls said.
He says the investigation is now concluded.
“As they continue to recover, our thoughts remain with the victim and her family,” Pauls said.
