BELLA COOLA, BRITISH COLUMBIA / RankWire.AI / – A mother and her daughter have died in a suspected grizzly bear attack on a walking trail near Bella Coola, B.C. Family identified them as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and Selah Reed, 20. Conservation officers found Balcarras’s remains on Monday in the Snooka West Trail area. Reed was found dead on Tuesday afternoon. Officers are trying to trap the bear, but none has been caught so far.
The pair went for a walk on the trail on Saturday afternoon and did not return. Relatives reported them missing on Sunday. The trail lies about a five-minute drive from their home and is not in a remote area, said Josh Balcarras, Jennifer’s brother. He said the two were familiar with the route and had set out on a casual walk. RCMP and local search and rescue volunteers helped in the search.
Josh said the loss feels surreal and unlike anything real. He said the worry began with a few hours of silence, which grew into a day and then a night. When a second night passed, he said, the family realized something terrible had happened. Officials have asked the public to avoid the Snooka West Trail area for safety. Bear warnings are familiar in western Canada’s busy outdoor destinations, such as Banff.
Art therapist and education assistant remembered
Balcarras was an art therapist in Bella Coola and a mother of four, with Reed her youngest child. Her younger brothers recalled her love of books, guitar, singing, painting and the outdoors. Her brother Matthew said she painted murals in her children’s home and in his own. He said she was very much a central person in the family. The remote community sits on the province’s central coast, about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
Reed worked as an education assistant and was studying online through Athabasca University. Relatives described her as a gentle, sweet and quiet person who loved ballet, art and hiking. Josh said she shared many of her mother’s passions and the two were very close. Whenever Jennifer went hiking, Selah was right beside her, he said.
Officers say bear will be assessed if caught
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said a team is investigating the suspected attack. Insp. Jeff Tyre said in an online video that officers’ thoughts are with the victims’ families. He said traps have been set but no bears have been captured. Any bear caught will be assessed, and if it is found to be responsible, it will be dispatched under provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines.
Last November, a grizzly attacked a group of children and teachers on a trail near Bella Coola, leaving several critically injured. The Nuxalk Nation has directed community members and media to conservation officers for updates. Elected Chief Samuel Schooner said the Nation understands first-hand the trauma the deaths will bring to the family, last year’s victims and the wider community. The province also mourned four avalanche deaths in northern B.C. earlier this year.