Conservation Service confirms RCMP-killed bear attacked Maple Ridge toddler

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the black bear killed by RCMP after a three-year-old was attacked at her Maple Ridge home was the bear responsible, reversing its earlier finding.

The Aug. 9 attack occurred in the backyard of the family’s Metro Vancouver home. The girl was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital with injuries to her back, neck and head. Her father reportedly drove the animal away and shot it with a compound bow before police later killed a bear in the area.

The service had initially concluded, following a necropsy, that the bear killed by police was not the attacking animal and continued its search. Sgt. Jeremy Pauls said further investigation, additional evidence and DNA analysis confirmed it was the responsible bear.

Pauls apologized for the confusion and said no other bears were killed during the search. The service is concluding its investigation.