A 48-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter have been found dead following a suspected grizzly bear attack in Canada’s British Columbia.
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woman → find → Columbia
Jennifer Balcarras and her daughter Selah Reed were reported missing on Sunday after failing to return from a walk in the Snooka West Trail area on Saturday afternoon, local reports said.
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reports → report → afternoon
Their family said the pair had gone out for what was expected to be a short walk close to their home.
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what → say → home
Search teams from the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found Balcarras’s remains on Monday, followed by Reed’s body on Tuesday.
Authorities have not established whether one or multiple bears were responsible.
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bears → find → Tuesday
Conservation officers are investigating the incident and have begun trapping operations.
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officers → investigate → operations
Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the BCCOS said the evidence gathered at the scene indicated a possible animal attack.
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evidence → say → attack
He said any bear captured would be examined.
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bear → say → ?
“If the bear is determined to be the bear responsible for the attack, it will be dispatched to ensure public safety, as per provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines,” BCCOS said in a post on social media.
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BCCOS → determine → media
“We appreciate people’s concerns and the desire to assist but it is critical the public stay out of the area – both due to the danger and to allow officers to do their work,” he said.
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he → appreciate → work
Balcarras’s brother, Josh Balcarras described the mother and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who “got along really, really well” and enjoyed many of the same activities.
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who → describe → activities
“When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her,” he told CBC.
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he → hike → CBC
He said the family initially became concerned when the two did not return or respond to calls.
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two → say → calls
“It’s surreal.
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It → ’ → ?
It doesn’t seem real.
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It → seem → ?
It feels like a dream,” he said.
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he → feel → dream
“The way it starts is a few hours of not hearing from them.
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it → start → them
That turns into a day, and then a night … then a second night comes and it becomes a real thing.”
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it → turn → day
He said the women knew the trail well and described it as “not in a remote area”.
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women → say → area
Balcarras worked as an art therapist and had recently relocated to Bella Coola to take up a new career opportunity.
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Balcarras → work → opportunity
She leaves behind three adult children and a grandchild.
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She → leave → children
Reed worked as an education assistant and was pursuing further studies through Athabasca University’s online learning programme.
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Reed → work → programme
Her relatives described her as “a gentle, sweet, quiet soul” who enjoyed ballet, art and hiking.
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who → describe → ballet
The Central Coast Teachers’ Association said Balcarras had joined its school community as a counsellor in August.
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Balcarras → say → August
In a statement, it said she had spent “countless hours connecting with the students she served and worked closely with teachers and other staff supporting their well-being”.
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she → say → being
“Her time among us was far too brief, but her kindness, dedication, and care have left a lasting impression on our school community.
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kindness → leave → community
She will be deeply missed,” the association said.
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association → miss → ?
The BCCOS has urged people to stay away from the affected area while investigations and trapping operations continue.
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investigations → urge → area
The incident has also raised concerns in Bella Coola, where a grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers last year, injuring 11 people.
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bear → raise → people
The animal was never found despite an extensive search.
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animal → find → search
Grizzly bears are classified as a species of “special concern” in British Columbia, which is estimated to be home to between 10,000 and 13,000 of the animals.
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which → classify → animals
Although encounters with humans are considered relatively uncommon, the province has recorded several attacks in recent years.
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province → consider → years
A grizzly injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area in October last year, with one later dying from critical injuries.
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one → injure → injuries
In November last year, another bear attacked a school group near Bella Coola, injuring 11 people.
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bear → attack → people
The British Columbia wildlife federation has previously argued that reports of encounters between grizzlies and humans have increased since British Columbia prohibited hunting of the animals for sport in 2017.
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Columbia → argue → 2017
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